Orochi-senpai
by Knight of Ember
Summary: An Orochi by the name of Taro Yamada lies dead on the battlefield, only to wake up in a new world where the knights, samurai and vikings are long dead. Now he struggles to deal with modern living, lovestruck teenagers, and a certain sneaky girl who keeps affectionately calling him "Senpai". (AU)
1. Chapter 1

**Holy shit. I'd never thought I'd do it, but GUESS WHAT!? I'M GOING CRACK! That's right! Outlandish scenarios and crossovers that will make you waste your life comprehending why I would make something like this.**

 **And before you worry about me putting out too many stories for me to update, just remember, I update when I want during the summer.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything because I'm poor and I have no friends, except this story, which doesn't mean shit anyway.**

* * *

An Orochi stares at the sky, lying on the wet, muddy ground, too weak to even turn over. Taro Yamada knew this was it. Lying defeated, wounded and tired, from a Raider that caught him off-guard. He could only glance up as the daylight grew dimmer. He could see rain clouds in the sky, as heavy rain came pouring down. He could only feel the cold water pour into his armor. His eyesight grew weaker as the water clouded vision only seeing the flash of lightning. He could hear the pitter patter of raindrops as they fell on him. Slowly, but surely, he blacks out.

But the sound of thunder wakes him up again, finding himself in a house resembling that of the Dawn Empire. He sees himself shirtless as he looked for his samurai armor and weapon as he saw it by the mantle near his bed. He looks out the strange transparent window to see that it was still raining. He hears the sound of creaking as he turned his head to the door in agitation. He sees an old man, carrying a tea set and a wet towel.

"Ah, I see you are awake young man. Be calm for now, you've been in the rain for quite some time."

"Who are you?"

The old man then sits beside the bed and sets the tea and wipes the young Orochi's forehead.

"I am Musashi Yamada."

Taro knew that he had to thank the elder for saving him.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Yamada-sama." Taro said sincerely.

"Don't call me that, you can call me ojisan "

"Are you sure?" Taro asked.

"Of course, this old man has had enough of formalities already."

"My name is Taro Yamada."

The old man flinched at the name.

"Is something wrong?" Taro asked curiously, picking up on the old man's flinch.

"Nothing, nice to meet you, Taro. What were you doing in the street so bruised in this weather?"

"I-I do not remember, all I saw was some men pummel me and leaving me for dead."

"Ah, it must be those delinquents then. Misbehaving kids are rampant in these streets."

"No, it was worse than that."

"It had to be worse, no average weapon could damage you with the armor that you were wearing. Which begs the question, why were you wearing samurai armor and holding a katana in public? Are you from Tokyo? We rarely see any cosplayers in Buraza town since tourists rarely come by."

Taro didn't know what this "cosplayer" was, so he shook his head.

"No, I am a samurai, an Orochi. I was simply injured and ended up in your town."

The old man looked skeptical there. He looked like he was about to laugh.

"Ah, a samurai? And with a serpentine name to boot. Are you sure you're not a delusional otaku?"

Taro took that as an insult, this man called him a geek. He removed his mask and snarled at the old man.

"Don't insult me old man, I take my training seriously. What you say shames my honor."

"Very well, meet me at my dojo downstairs in the morning, we'll see if your skill really matches your claim. But for now, just rest, you have been through a lot and need some energy."

The Orochi couldn't argue as he decides to retreat to his futon. He has never felt this comfortable before and he never felt rest quite like this. Hopefully the dawn would arrive a little later. Maybe he'll try to understand his situation tomorrow.

* * *

Taro wakes up and heads to the mirror, he looks at his reflection and sees something rather strange. He doesn't know the duration of his unconsciousness but he could tell that his hair has gotten messy and a bit shaggy. His skin wasn't as blemished, holding the cleanliness of a young lad, rather than a battle scarred warrior. His charcoal grey eyes no longer looked tired, but looked young and energetic. It was like his body was contradicting with his mind and soul.

He sees training gear set before him. It looked like the casual attire he would wear when sparring with wooden swords. He sees it as a signal to go down as he changed to his new attire. He explores the house as he finds himself in the dojo, with the old man, Musashi Yamada on the other side.

"Pick up the bokken."

Taro grabs a bokken from the rack. He then stands in front of the old man and bows.

"Not bad, looks like you are familiar with the customs after all."

"Don't patronize me." Taro growled.

Taro then gets into stance, his stance almost unreadable as the old man wore an impressed face. They then proceed to fight. Musashi makes the first move, slicing diagonally at Taro, who parries it and hits the old man's stomach. The old man seemed awestruck that he was defeated so quickly.

"Another round?" Taro asked with smugness in his voice, before returning to stance. "As you wish."

Taro slashes but Musashi parries it away, and tries to thrust at Taro. Taro then redirects the strike and tries a slice, but Musashi blocks it. Musashi then tries another slash, but Taro parries it and puts the bokken to his neck. The old man's eyes widened as he was defeated so quickly.

"I win."

Taro then withdraws his sword and bows, with Musashi doing the same. Musashi was awe-struck, no one had ever even come close to beating him at his own sport. He was a nanadan rank practitioner and has never been beaten by someone DECADES younger than him.

"Do you believe me now?" Taro asked.

"I really can't believe it…" the old man expressed as he then bowed to Taro. "But you did beat me, and I have met no youngster with discipline and concentration like yours. I will give you the benefit of the doubt for now."

Taro was satisfied with the progress he made so far, at least the old man wouldn't make his samurai background.

"My thanks, though I still have a query."

"Yes?"

"Why did you flinch when I said my name? It was almost as if it triggered something."

The old man was visibly surprised to hear that.

"You noticed that?"

"I'm very good at reading body language, it comes naturally as a warrior."

The old man sighed as he walked to the living room.

"Looks like I can't hide it any longer."

Taro followed Musashi to see the living room, a simple short table and pillows on the floor. While it did resemble the traditional home of the Dawn Empire, but it was too clean for his standards. There was a strange device on the end of the room. The old man then gestured to the window.

"Look outside."

Taro saw the strangest view in his life. The houses were not that of the Dawn Empire, or that of the Iron Legion or even the Warborn. It was clean, the houses had nearly the same style and color and their design was too foreign. Taro looked in awe as he saw the planes fly above and cars and bikes move past the streets.

"What is this world?"

"The Empire you once knew is gone. It's been almost 500 years since your days of glory."

"No! Did the knights and vikings win? What happened?"

"The samurai were wiped out, the other warriors you've mentioned are also long dead and extinct."

Taro couldn't take all of this in, the greatest warriors were wiped out, extinct, faded into obscurity. He fell on the floor in defeat as he tried to comprehend what was happening. The old man then tells Taro.

"But that's not the reason I brought you here."

Taro then looks up to see Musashi holding a picture, with Musashi in the picture and an unidentified young man in the picture. Taro looked closer to see that the younger man looked just like him but younger and cleaner, with a more youthful face. But Taro then realized that he also became youthful, he remembered his face in the bathroom, being much cleaner and younger than the face he already had.

"Tell me son, how old are you?"

"I am twenty four years old."

"And you notice your uncanny resemblance with this boy?"

"Yes."

"My grandson would be turning eighteen years old this year, he ran away from home some time ago and he hasn't returned."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"And you know his name? Taro Yamada."

Taro froze for a second as he realized what this meant.

"Are you sure you aren't my boy?" the old man asked shakily. "You remind me so much of him."

"N-No! I'm a samurai! I've never seen a world like this! I've never met you in my life!"

The old man sighed dejectedly as he put the picture back on the drawer.

"I figured as much… I was hoping that you would be my grandson, but judging from how you reacted to the modern world, you clearly aren't him."

Taro took a sigh as he tried to wrap his head around his current situation.

"Ojisan, I have a question."

"Yes?"

"I have nowhere to go as of the moment and I don't have a home right now, may I stay at your house for now?"

"Of course, you are already lost as it is, let me help you. But first thing on the agenda, we have to change your clothing."

* * *

Taro felt weird wearing these clothes. A strange tunic called a "t-shirt" and "pants" for the lower body. He also had to wear a strange shaped loincloth called "underwear". The outer layer of clothing was called a "jacket" meant for covering him from the weather. He also had to wear strange, but comfortable footwear known as "sneakers". He never wore something like this. This future world was too outlandish for him anyway.

"Now you can't carry a katana around, as you might be arrested for publicly carrying a deadly weapon."

"But I feel naked without my weapon."

"Then bring a bokken instead. We live in peace now, we no longer need to worry about war and fighting."

"Pardon me, but if this outfit is for going outside, then where are we going?"

"We are going to enroll you in Akademi High School. Though you claim to be twenty four, other people will see you as a teenager, and a person your age who isn't going to school is bound to attract unwanted attention."

"Okay, but won't I have to take an entrance exam? I'm familiar with the concept of schools and I'm quite sure that I have to take an entrance exam."

"The school encourages multicultural learning, as long as you excel in one field, they'll let you in. Now listen to me, if they ask who is your family, just tell them that I am your grandpa, okay?"

"Got it."

"Good, just let me get dressed and we'll be on our way to the school."

* * *

Taro lounged around in the living room as he examined it with wonder. The contraption on the ceiling was meant to cool down the room. The strange box on the cabinet could play moving pictures. The other contraptions could play music, light the room, and etcetera. But he sees Musashi in his outgoing clothes and takes that as a signal to leave with him out the door. Taro looked at this new world with awe as he started walking with the old man to the academy.

"Now listen, some people are going to be really surprised by your appearance. Since you look like my grandson, people may mistake you for him and you should not correct them. We need to keep your true identity under wraps, understand?" Musashi asked.

"Perfectly." Taro replied casually.

As they walked they passed by a bakery, where Taro could see all the colorful desserts and food. He felt his mouth water at the tasty treats as he admired the store front.

"Looking for something to eat?" a gentle voice asked.

Taro looked to his right to see a light brown haired girl. Her short brown was pulled back by a light mint green handkerchief and mint green eyes. She had light mint green apron along with striped stockings of the same color. Her eye color was mesmerizing as Taro had never seen such a color before. She gave off a gentle aura, reminding Taro of an elderly-sister type of person.

"Ah, I was just admiring the pastries, they look very good to eat."

"That's very nice of you to say that! I made them myself! You want a free sample?"

Taro then sees the glare of Musashi from across the street as he realized that he was wasting time.

"Sorry, maybe later, I still have to accompany my grandfather to Akademi."

"He's your grandfather? Musashi Yamada?" the girl noted as she saw the old man across the street. "He's quite popular in this town, my mother used to tell me how he was her childhood hero. And then again, you do look like his old pictures."

"Yes I know, people say that." Taro lied. "Anyway, I have to go, see you soon!"

"Wait! If you're Musashi's grandson, what's your name?"

"Taro Yamada."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Amai Odayaka!" she said with a huge smile.

Taro gave her a nod as he ran across the street. He wore an embarrassed look as Musashi scowled at him.

"What's with you? Few minutes and you already get sidetracked by an interested girl!"

"I just wanted the pastries, they look delicious."

"Let's not waste any time okay? We need you to root yourself in this town before anyone notices anything off about you."

"Like what?"

"You look at everything like it's amazing. Your choice of word and speech makes you look like you're carrying a thesaurus around. And your non-youthful attitude makes you stand out."

"Okay, fair enough. I have another question, if you had a grandson with you, where were his parents?"

"When my grandson was still alive, he studied also in Akademi. But when he ran away two years ago, his parents moved away from this town and took his sister to another school."

"Wait, but won't it be suspicious if people suddenly see me alive?" Taro asked worrriedly.

"That's the thing, we have to act like you were never gone."

"While that sounds a little heartless, how about the parents, what if they find me here?"

"They most likely won't come back here, the blame for my grandson's disappearance was mostly cast onto me… I don't think they'll ever come back."

Taro noticed the sullen look in Musashi's eyes. He decides not to push the issue as they approached the school. It looked majestic. The walkway was lined with sakura trees, with the entrance up ahead with the school name written on the gold plate. The school was large as Taro saw all the students wearing particularly strange uniforms. He felt many stares on him as he looked at the school in astonishment.

"Come on, let's go!" Musashi chided.

"Sorry, I'm just so astonished… All my life, I've never seen the cherry blossoms bloom."

Musashi wore a face of shock at what Taro said.

"You… have never seen this? At all?"

"Nope, I'm usually far from home to notice these types of beautiful things."

Noticing the old man wear a face of pity, Taro decides to change the subject.

"Why are the skirts of the girls so short?" Taro asked loudly.

"Shhhh!" Musashi hissed. "You don't say something like that in public!"

"Sorry, I was just curious."

"Well tone down a bit, we're here."

* * *

They enter a large room, where the floor is a scarlet red with a large white rug in the middle. Two gray couches surround a coffee table on the white rug. Towards the back of the room is a large desk with a key on it, a small plant and a stack of papers. In the two back corners are two medium-sized trees. Two bookshelves are located at each of the room's sides. Taro could even see a katana in a case, located on the right wall. But Taro switched his attention back to the table, where a tired, middle aged man was working. He had short dark brown hair and glasses. He wore a light blue shirt with a red tie under a green vest. The man noticed Musashi entering and smiles saying.

"Ah, Sensei Musashi what can I do for you?"

"I came to enroll my grandson to your school." Musashi said before facing Taro. "Taro, this is Headmaster Kocho Shuyona.

The Headmaster looks at Taro, who makes a respectful bow.

"Good morning Headmaster Shuyona, my name is Taro Yamada and I wish to enroll in your school."

Kocho Shuyona was surprised by Taro's speech and turns to Musashi.

"Your grandson is very respectful, what happened to his previous rebellious behavior?" the Headmaster asked.

"I don't know, he came back to my house, completely changed two years after he ran away."

"So what do you want from me? Why don't you go through normal enrollment procedure?"

"I need this boy back in school as soon as possible, and I know that you can make that as quick as possible."

Both stayed silent at this.

"You know I can't keep pulling strings like this." the Headmaster warned.

"What? Like you did with the police and the media?" Musashi replied fiercely.

"Don't say that in front of him." the Headmaster hissed, referring to Taro in the back.

"I want him to learn from your mistakes." the old man said bluntly. "Make no mistake, I will still keep your secret, but I'm still as disappointed in you ever since that day in 1989."

Taro was curious about what happened back in this "1989". The Headmaster just sighed deeply as he then decided to change the subject.

"Well, have you brought in his paperwork?"

"Yes, his birth certificate and his previous grades. I also have his passport."

"I'm surprised, I would have figured that the parents would have taken those with them."

"They wanted no memory of him when they left."

"I'll have my secretary ready him for the entrance exam, he will start classes this Monday."

"Wait, when is the exam starting?" Taro asked.

"Now." the Headmaster replied with a smirk.

Taro was nervous as he saw a woman enter the room.

"You called for me sir?"

"Yes, please take Yamada-san to the testing room."

"Gladly, please come this way sir."

Taro gave Musashi a pleading look as he was being led out of the room. As soon as Taro left, Musashi chuckled.

"I wonder how he will react to the fact that the result of this entrance exam is negligible."

"Easy for you to say, I won't always be sticking up for your boy." the Headmaster added.

"Just this once." Musashi pleaded. "And I'll never bring it up again."

"Deal."

* * *

Taro was sweating profusely as this test was difficult. The mathematics and science part was almost impossible, except for the mechanical problems, since he worked with gear-based machinery back in the Dawn Empire, it was a bit easier, but still utterly unanswerable. The World History part was impossible Taro didn't really know what happened, so he had to draw parallels from his own history. But the next part, Japanese studies was a breeze, the legends of Yamata no Orochi? Every Orochi in the Dawn Empire was taught that legend. The language? Taro was a well-versed speaker, of course he would know the language extensively. Culture and customs? Common knowledge. The final part, was English test, Taro had an advantage. The language that they call "English" was rooted to the language of the Iron Legion, and being talented at espionage, he had to pick up on the Iron Legion language being spoken. Taro quickly writes, and the alarm startles as he finishes the final item.

"Time's up! Pass your paper!"

Taro breathed a sigh of relief as he turned in the paper, with the proctor asking.

"Not too difficult eh?"

"It couldn't be more difficult. I fear that I will fail."

"You'll never know until you see the results, good luck."

"You too."

Taro leaves the room, with the proctor remarking.

"That boy seems a little too formal and advanced in his language, not even a sign of a slang or a tinge of youthful speech. And not to mention he always carries that bokken with him. What's with that?"

* * *

Taro had some free time, seeing that the sun has yet to set. He tries returning to the office, but he sees the Headmaster and Musashi in heavy discussion. Not wanting to disturb them he decides to go exploring around the school. He looks out to see the wide facilities and weird painted grounds. This was a strange place, but since Taro was in a new world, he had to adapt and deal with it, regardless of how strange and unsettling the scene may be. But he then hears the large sound of running as he sees a girl run up to him, accompanied by two other girls from behind.

"Osana! Slow down a little wouldya?"

Taro examined the girl in front of him. She had long, orange twintails that reach her knees. The ends of her hair fade into a small yellow gradient. Her hair was tied up in thin pink scrunchies with white polka dots, and she woew salmon pink stockings with white polka dots with black shoes. She wore a small red bow on the right side of her head. She then points a finger at him and said.

"You! Tell me your name!"

Taro looked left and right, slightly confused at this.

"Me?"

"Yeah you!"

"Osana, why would you want to—" one of her friends asked before being cut off.

"Quiet!" Osana chided before facing Taro. "What's your name?"

"Why would you want to know my name?"

Osana then turned red in the face as she screamed.

"I-It's not like I wanted to know you more!"

"Taro Yamada, grandson of Musashi Yamada."

Osana's eyes widened as she approached him with wonder and awe in her eyes.

"So it's really you…"

Taro took a step back in uncertainty, unsure what to make of this.

"Um yes, what about it?"

"You don't remember me?"

Taro squinted his eyes hard to try and see if she was familiar.

"I'm sorry if I have met you before, but I can't seem to recognize you. Maybe a name would ring a bell?"

Taro then saw the girl look fuming mad, as if she were ready to burst. Taro could have sworn that steam was coming out of her ears.

"Idiot! Like I wanted you to know my name! I-It's not like I wanted to talk to you anyway!"

The girl storms off, with her friends in tow. Taro couldn't even process what happened. He shrugs it off and goes to the back of the school, where he sees an odd sight. Around the corner, he saw a gathering. He looked closer to see that there were students surrounding a girl. The girl had fair skin, black hair that is tied into a ponytail, and grey eyes. She seemed apathetic to what was happening even though the people surrounding her seemed threatening as they held their tools like official weapons.

"Osorō-dono has been down ever since you left the school Yan-chan, please you have to come back to him."

"No, I won't. I don't care anymore about what happens in that school." the girl replied indifferently.

"Why you—" one of the delinquent girls growled as she instinctively moved to strike "Yan-chan" with her club.

Taro took this as his signal to move in as he blocked the delinquent's golf club with his bokken.

"Wha—"

The delinquents stepped back to analyze the new threat. Taro had gotten in between these delinquents and the girl.

"Who the hell are you!?" the leader of the group demanded. "You have some nerve to interfere with our business."

Taro ignored their threats as he faced the girl and pulled her up, who seemed awestruck by his sudden appearance. He asks her.

"What's your name lady?"

"A-Ayano Aishi."

"Well Ayano-san, please leave right now, you might get hurt."

The girl couldn't move, so Taro had assumed that she was too scared to actually run away. Taro then faces the delinquents, who numbered to about five of them, all ready to kill. Taro took a deep breath and sighed, his civilian mindset now turned off, it was time for the Orochi state of mind.

"Hahaha! This otaku thinks he can take us on! Let's teach him a lesson."

Taro had now become the Orochi, his vision had completely changed, in his mind, the delinquents became vikings and his bokken, now became a katana. He gets into stance as his enemies charged. He parries one strike and slices the back of his first enemy. He then blocks another strike from an opponent. He then grabs his opponent's hand as he spun to strike another incoming enemy. With the momentum of the spin, he threw and slammed his other opponent whose hand he grabbed. He then redirects a strike, coming from the last opponent and elbowed his face. All his opponents were down and defeated.

He exits his Orochi state of mind and returns to reality, seeing a bunch of beaten teenagers on the ground. A few students had been watching from the windows and started muttering among themselves.

" _Aren't those the Karejji High School delinquents?"_

" _No way, Osorō wouldn't stand for it!"_

" _Yeah, but they only came here because his sister Osoro was absent! These territorial disputes between delinquents are just sibling squabbles!"_

" _But look, those guys were beaten by one of the upper classmen!"_

" _Who is that guy?"_

" _Who cares? I'd have him as my senpai any day if it means protection from those delinquents!"_

Taro then approaches Ayano, who was amazed at the display. She shyly averted her gaze while blushing.

"T-Thank you… senpai."

Taro was a bit interested to know the connotations of "senpai" in this new future, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. He then tells Ayano.

"Don't mention it. I was just doing what was necessary."

Taro then sees Musashi approach him, he seemed fuming as he saw the bruised teenagers at Taro's feet. He pulls Taro away as they retreat to a less crowded place by the school's entrance.

"What were you thinking!? You could have gotten expelled for doing that!" the man chided.

"I was only protecting the girl." Taro curtly replied.

"Yes, but considering the beating you gave those poor kids, I don't think anyone will believe you."

"I was only taking the logical course of action. I saw a threat, and I eliminated it."

"Did you consider running away? Not all fights are meant to be fought!"

"I could not leave the girl to their mercy."

Musashi let a groan of frustration as he just retreated to clear his head. He then returns to Taro.

"Forget about it, let's go home."

"When will I get my entrance exam results?"

"Tomorrow, hopefully the mail will be early."

* * *

Musashi and Taro took the walk home, with the sun finally setting, and the moon rising. Taro still had a lingering question in his mind.

"Ojisan, do you know a girl named Osana?"

"Of course, she was my grandson's childhood friend, she's been down ever since he ran away. But I think she'll be in for quite the…" Musashi paused before his face paled. 'You didn't meet her did you?"

"I did, I told her that I didn't remember her."

Musashi looked like he was about to choke Taro.

"You idiot! You might have possibly broken her fragile heart!"

"She didn't seem affected by it."

"God help me, you're as dense as my grandson. She's had a crush on my grandson for years, of course she'd feel heartbroken and hide it!"

"Oh." Taro expressed, realizing his mistake.

"No matter." Musashi sighed exasperatedly. "Just fix it up with her this Monday."

As soon as they reached the house. Taro could feel a strange presence watching them as he entered. He stopped to look around for anything suspicious. Being an Orochi, he knew when someone was spying on them.

"Taro! Are you coming inside?"

"Uh yes!"

Taro hurriedly walks in, failing to notice Ayano peeking from the bushes. Though he may be a warrior, high school presents quite some challenges of its own. And Taro hasn't seen nothing yet of what's to come.

* * *

 **And that's it! Holy crap! This must be the most ridiculous story I've written to date! If you ever ask my why I did this, just assume that I'm on crack.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the update that YOU guys have been begging for. This was the last fanfic I expected to actually get another update, but here we are!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Yandere Sim or For Honor, but if Yandere Dev wants to, he can use this idea :)**

* * *

Taro meditated, closing his eyes for maximum concentration. He felt the wind brush against him as he felt himself relax and soften. He takes a deep breath, whilst readying his katana. Something inside him snaps and he begins to spin and slash his sword with furious gracefulness. With his eyes still closed, he moves with ferocity and slashes.

He suddenly stops, sheathes his katana, and opens his eyes to see the garden in good shape.

"Ahh… The trimming is finished!" He expressed contentedly. "The shrubs and trees have been cut and maintained."

"Yes, that was quite a display of swordsmanship." Musashi expressed while walking to Taro. "How were you able to combine swordsmanship with gardening?"

"The Orochi are trained in the art of gardening. We exercise patience and preciseness by cutting trees and bushes with our swords."

"That really is impressive!" Musashi proclaimed in admiration, before walking back inside. "Just continue your work, I'll prepare you some tea."

"Yes ojisan!"

Taro went back to work, refining his handiwork as he began trimming the bushes a little more meticulously.

"Wow! What a beautiful garden you have there!" a feminine voice expressed.

Taro turned to see a lady behind him, looking through the fence of his house. She had medium length, dark brown hair that reached her shoulders. She also had a long strand of hair around her left eye. She had a pink hair clip in her hair bun, with a large gradient pink flower in front that connected to a pink floral headband. Her eye color was quite eye catching, since Taro never saw caramel colored eyes back at home.

"Why thank you ma'am!" Taro expressed gratefully. "I cut it myself!"

"With that katana?" the girl asked, noticing Taro's unsheathed katana. "How did you do that?"

"I come from a long line of swordsmen! We have a family tradition of trimming leaves, known as _kensetsuha_!"

"Your family gardens?"

"Er, no. We just use gardening as a tool to strengthen our sword ability!"

The woman takes a closer look at the trees and shrubs.

"You can try out for the Gardening Club back at our school! Your trimming skills will guarantee your entry!"

"Hehehe, sorry but no can do. I don't think I will be participating in any extra-curricular activities. I practice kenjutsu with my grandfather."

"Oh." the girl huffed. "You're one of those violent martial arts nuts are you?"

"Now Uekiya… Don't be so close-minded. Not all practitioners of martial arts are violent."

Taro turns to see Musashi carrying a tray of tea, with some vegetables on the side. Taro saw Uekiya look a bit abashed at her own statement.

"S-Sorry Musashi-sensei!" Uekiya immediately apologized, bowing to the old man. "I didn't know you were visiting!"

"Silly girl… I live here! And I assume you have met my grandson?"

"Y-You moved back!?" Uekiya asked in shock, making Taro curious about where the old man had come from. She then jumps up and down excitedly. "Please, please, please, pleeeeeaaaaase! Come to our garden! I think you'll be proud of what I've done to improve it!"

"Hahaha! I'll make sure to have Taro take some pictures tomorrow. It's his first day of school after all!"

"Okay sensei! I have to go now!" Uekiya waved as she ran off. "Bye!"

As soon as Uekiya was out of sight, Taro asked Musashi.

"Who was she?"

"Oh her? That is Uekiya Engeika, the president of the school Gardening club. She used to visit me regularly."

"Why does she visit you?"

"Oh, I was like the grandfather she never had. She always loved helping me with this garden! I think that's what got her into gardening in the first place." Musashi stated, before musing on old memories. "She could never sit still without caring for her peers…"

"Which adds another interesting note, why did she say that you moved back? Where did you come from?"

Musashi fell silent at that, as he set down the tray on the table in the garden.

"Come, we'll discuss that over some tea."

Taro and Musashi sit across each other in the middle of the garden, the calming nature of it relaxing Taro. Taro and the old man enjoy a cup of tea, with Taro enjoying the rich blend.

"So where did you come from?" Taro asked, immediately acting upon his query.

"…When my grandson had disappeared, I had to take a spiritual journey to the monastery for guidance."

"That is understandable, we all need the wisdom of the monks."

"Not many admit the truths given by the elderly, especially people as young as you." Musashi observed, before sipping from his tea.

"Wisdom can mean life and death in a place plagued by war." Taro replied darkly.

Musashi realized that he had brought up a sensitive topic.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine, I didn't mean to get so grim."

An awkward silence loomed over the two as they enjoyed their tea. Taro tries to break the silence.

"You brew very good tea ojisan."

"Thank you, it's certainly better than that cheap tea you got so fascinated with."

"Pardon me, I'm still amazed how your world could produce food and drinks at such a huge rate. If we had this much resources, we would have had no reason to go to war."

"It's quite amazing how much your world has changed."

"Actually… About that." Taro added in.

"What?"

"I don't think I am from this world." Taro said, while bringing out a huge book onto the table.

"What's this?" Musashi asked curiously.

"A book of your World History. I've been taking the liberty of learning more about the world, and I found something odd in the history."

"What would that be?" Musashi asked, leaning forward in interest.

"I looked up on knights, vikings and samurai specifically and this is where I found their nations." Taro said while pointing onto three areas on the world map. "The moment I saw their countries of origin, I knew that there was something wrong."

"What's wrong?"

"The knights, vikings and samurai live so far from each other! Not to mention that they are literally centuries apart in time periods!"

"Isn't that how it's always been?" Musashi asked, confused at what Taro's trying to point out.

"No! It's all wrong! Where I am from, they were so close to each other! We were literally at each other's doorsteps!"

"Are you saying that you live in a world, where knights, samurai and vikings… fought?"

"Yes! I've been reading up on your world's counterpart, and I have fought them! I have faced Berserkers, Wardens, Raiders, Highlanders! I have fought them all! This isn't the future, this is an alternate world"

"Wait! Give me a second to process this, it's already unbelievable enough to think that you're from the past. But another world!? One where knights, vikings and samurai fought!? It's sounds like a movie, I won't believe it!"

"I can prove it. Another phenomenon I noticed was that people of this world also existed in other worlds."

"Oh really now?" Musashi asked skeptically. "Name one person you know!"

"My grandfather, Musashi Yamada, swordsmaster and general of Empress Ayu. Married Chinatsu Uemaru and retired to being a dojo master."

Musashi seemed shocked for a moment before his eyebrows furrowed.

"Name someone who isn't family."

"Osana Najimi, bastard child of a knight and samurai, thus her strange orange hair."

"Name someone at random." Musashi stated, still not relenting to Taro's crazy theory.

"I'm not sure if I met her yet in this world, but I know I had a sister named Hanako Yamada. There was also this guy… what was his name…." Taro clicked his tongue while trying to remember. "Ah! His name was Budo Masuta! He was my commander!"

"Naming townsmen isn't enough!" Musashi replied, still not giving up. "Give me something that would absolutely prove what you're saying!"

"I'm not sure…" Taro said dejectedly, before bringing out a strange knife. "Maybe this would prove it?"

Musashi took the knife and examined it. His eyes widen in realization as he recognized the item.

"Where did you get this?"

"That is my family's lucky Tantō, carved by the ancestors of the Yamada clan. It has a special carving that sets it apart. Why?"

"Because I have a Tantō that looks exactly like this." Musashi said, before rushing into the house and coming out, holding another Tantō. "Take a look!"

Taro took the two Tantō and examined them and Musashi was right. They looked exactly the same. The carving, the craftsmanship, the carving, they were certainly the same.

"The family Tantō has a carving and craftmanship that cannot be replicated by any smith. Either you set all this up as a really elaborate practical joke." Musashi explained before pausing. "Or…"

"I would never lie ojisan. I speak the truth." Taro said, while giving a pleading look.

Taro and Musashi shared a glance for a while, before Musahi sighed and put his palm over his face.

"Fine, I'll believe you for now. But we will argue on this topic again, understand?"

"Yes ojisan."

Taro stood up and cleaned up the table and was about to bring the tray inside, before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Before you go Taro, I'd like to ask. If I existed in your world, why didn't you recognize me?"

"The Musashi of my world never visited me. For all my life, I have heard his name but I have never seen his face. I never really knew anything else about him." Taro said before turning to go inside.

Musashi was left there to wonder about what Taro said.

" _Even in an alternate world, I was a neglectful grandfather."_

* * *

Taro was reading more about the world. Apparently, the knights were long obsolete by the time the samurai became dominant. Same thing could be said about the vikings, since they soon became obsolete by the time the knights emerged. It was really fascinating. This world had invested in improving explosives and ranged weapons, rendering melee fighting obsolete.

"Still reading on history?"

Taro looked up to see Musashi standing by the door.

"Yes, I do need to brush up on my knowledge. This world's education has gotten seriously complex and I need to study if I hope to keep up."

"Don't worry about it. Besides, we have to go out today."

"Why?" Taro asked, setting down the book.

"We have to go to Tokyo to buy you school supplies, there seems to be a shortage of supplies in Buraza Town."

"Okay, just let me get dressed."

"We'll be leaving in a few minutes." Musashi said while leaving the room. "So hurry up."

Taro gets off his bed and hurries to the cabinet, where all the clothes were.

" _Okay Taro, you're a grown man, you're just in a different world, dressing up isn't difficult. Just remember, underwear, socks, pants, and shirt."_

* * *

Musashi walks in with his outdoor attire, packing money into his wallet.

"Taro! We're leaving!"

"Just a minute! I need to get these shoes on!"

Musashi stared blankly as he watched Taro struggle to put on his shoes, his knot failing to tighten his shoes. This goes on for a few minutes, before Taro is finally successful. Taro then rushes to grab the money and his cellphone on the table and his bokken.

"Okay! Let's go!"

Musashi and Taro leave the house, with Musashi locking the door. Taro looked again in awe at all the automobiles and the train passing by.

"So where are we going this time? The capital right? Since Tokyo means Eastern Capital?"

"Yes, we will have to take a train going there. It might take a while, but we should finish all our errands before sundown." Musashi explained before asking. "And do you remember what to do?"

"Yes, don't get separated from you. Got it." Taro said with a thumbs-up.

"And you know how to use a cellphone just how I taught you?"

"Yes ojisan, press the buttons and find your name."

"That's good enough I guess." Musashi sighed as he massaged his forehead.

Taro and Musashi eventually reach the train station. With Taro looking awed at all the advanced technology.

"Stop gawking like that, you look ridiculous."

"Sorry."

The train arrives shortly, and Taro hesitantly walks in while taking in all the technology. He feels a shove from Musashi as he gestures to the bars.

"Hold on. We don't want you to fall when the train stops."

Taro grabs the handle.

"Like this?"

"Yes, now just stand firmly for the rest of the trip." Musashi said while hanging on to his bar.

Taro took this moment to gaze out. It was a bright and sunny day, a beautiful one at that. He saw the clear blue sky, with fluffy white clouds and beautiful birds flying. The cities were large and wide, while the fields were still lush and pretty. Taro could see the mountains surrounding Tokyo as he saw the scenery change fast. This was it. This was the peaceful world that Apollyon had sought to prevent. This was something that Taro could certainly live in.

But his moment of awe ends, as he feels himself being slung forward. He holds on tightly as he sees the train come to a stop. He sees the doors open and he realizes that they have already reached their destination.

"Come Taro, let's hurry."

Taro rushes out and follows Musashi inside the train station. He looks at the many stores, with fancy clothing and merchandise. He sees the shiny floors, glittering decorations. This world was certainly more stylish than the one he came from. He then asks Musashi.

"So uh, where are we going?"

"To a mall not too far from here. We will buy your supplies and we will leave shortly."

"Okay, sounds like a plan!" Taro said confidently before asking. "What's a mall?"

"Just follow me." Musashi sighed as they exited the train station.

Taro looked in awe at all the people. Everyone, looking so busy to get where they wanted to go. He saw that they wasted no time to get where they wanted to go. He saw them wear suits, ties, supposed formal attire of this world. He also saw some wearing strange frilly clothes, though he was in no place to question those. He looks at the large structure in front of them.

"We're going inside there?"

"Yes we are, just stay close by."

They both walked in, with Taro once again being amazed the large interior of the mall. It was spacious and gigantic, making Taro wonder how they could have constructed something so large. He grabs a nearby map and looks at the large area of the mall, amazed at the fact that he needed a map to traverse it. But he sees Musashi approach a store and follows him. But Musash turns to him and says.

"Wait for me at the mall plaza fountain." Musashi said while pointing to the area of the map that Taro was holding. "We'll meet there and don't go anywhere else. Got it?"

"Got it."

Taro immediately follows the map to the aforementioned plaza. But when he gets there, he doesn't see the fountain, but a huge congregation of people wearing strange costumes, with strange, and weird hair colors and styles. He looks at the huge banner that read.

 **Tokyo Anime Expo - Anime, Manga and More!**

Though Taro knew manga meant "impromptu pictures", he had to make a mental note to research on what "anime" was. He decides to investigate and take a closer look at this "expo".

He walks in, to see people wearing strange clothing and armor. Attires that vaguely resembled knights and samurai. Weapons that were ridiculously ornate and impractical that Taro knew that they were harmless. He saw them with strange colors and everything, he was in awe at it all. He passes by a woman wearing the strange frilly costume that he saw before. She also had cat ears on her head.

"Nyan's Cafe! Do you want to take a seat, nya~"

"Er, no thanks." Taro replied, while rushing through the crowd.

Seeing these vague images and imitations of knights still brought bad memory to Taro. He was trained all his life to combat these knights, but he still had the conscience not to do it here, since these cheap imitations weren't even close to the real thing.

As he walked, he could feel eyes on him. He looks around, trying to look for the spy that he instinctively detected. He looks around before seeing a pair of grey eyes, watching him from the crowd. He tries to approach the girl watching him. But there was another eye-catching feature in the crowd.

He saw a foreign woman, slightly taller than he. She had dirty blonde hair, tied to a long ponytail. She had hazel eyes, and her body was fairly curved. She was wearing colorful blue blouse, exposing her shoulders and legs. She was carrying a wooden longsword and seemed harmless. But as soon as Taro bumped by her, he noticed something that set her apart from the rest.

" _Paenitet."_

He heard it, she spoke Latin. Which, from what he read, was a dead language in this world. He smelled traces of steel and rust on her. He could also see visible scars on her neck and joints. Areas that most samurai aim for while fighting the knights. He could also see her braid, tied together by a hair tie that had the Iron Legion emblem on it. Taro knew it was undeniable now. He growled at the foreign woman.

"Warden!"

The name causes the woman to instinctively turn and draw her weapon. She looks at the weapon that Taro drew as she instinctively shouted.

"Orochi!"

People stopped as soon as they heard the ongoing hostility. They crowded around the two as they circled each other, with their wooden weapons drawn.

"What brings you here tin can?" Taro taunted.

"Look I think there's been a misunderstanding." the woman replied.

Taro backs up before rushing forward to deliver a slash to the side, which the woman parried with ease before whacking Taro at the side, making him roll back.

"Tell me! How did you get here!?" Taro growled as he rushed in to slice.

The woman parried it and pushed Taro back.

"I don't want any trouble!" the woman pleaded as she changed to defensive stance.

"Too late for any change knight!" Taro shouted as he rushed in again.

The woman was held back by Taro's relentless and fast attacks. She raises her sword to block a strike from Taro. She then shoulder bashes him back, causing him to knock over some spectators.

"Just calm down!" the woman chided.

"I'll calm down when you're dead woman!" Taro snarled as he went back in the fray.

The woman tries a strike, but Taro spins and dodges her strike, before flanking her and striking her sides. The woman then hits his face with her pommel and kicks him back. Taro then quickly recovers and roars, indicating his gaining of strength. He tries another slash but the woman parries it and sends Taro back. The woman then changes her grip and does a mordhau stroke on Taro's face, knocking him down for the count.

Taro looks up from the ground, to see the woman hold a sword to his neck.

"Please, for your sake, stay down."

"Then tell me!" Taro shouted while panting. "How did you get here!?"

"Probably the same way you did samurai." The woman said while crouching down, but still putting the sword to his neck. "If I let you go, do you promise not to attack me?"

Taro begrudgingly nodded as the woman pulled him up.

"Name's Charlotte Weber." The lady introduced. "How about you?"

"My name is Taro Yamada." Taro said stiffly.

"Now that we have calmed down, why don't we just civilly ask each other—"

"There they are officer!" a woman shouted. "They were starting a fight!"

Taro and Charlotte turned to see a man in blue running through the crowd.

"You two, stop!"

Charlotte looks at Taro.

"Let's continue this later."

Taro and Charlotte nodded at each other and went their separate ways. With Taro immediately running back to the store, he looks behind himself as he sees that the man was gone and stands idly. But he feels his phone vibrate as he tries to find a way to open the message.

"Okay… How do I open this?"

Taro fiddles with the device before flipping it open and seeing the message.

 **This is** **Charlotte** **, meet me in front of the mall**

Taro looks uncertainly at the store and the outside of the mall, before deciding to exit it. He goes out, to see the woman from before. She sees him and approaches him.

"The policeman did not identify us, so we're okay for now."

"You still didn't answer my question Warden." Taro said. "How did you get here?"

"The same way you did samurai." Charlotte replied. "Do you know how you got here?"

"No."

"My point exactly. We both don't know how we got into this world. So stop asking."

"Okay, why are you here?" Taro asked while folding his arms.

"I think that's another conversation for another day." Charlotte said dismissively. "All you need to know that is the fact that I am a Warden and that I was also transported to this world from my homeland, like you."

Both stood idly, as neither had anything else to say.

"So what do we do now?" Taro asked.

"We live in this new world. Though we aren't accustomed to it, we will have to adapt." Charlotte replied, before walking away. "You'll have to as well samurai."

Taro watched her walk away before expressing.

"As much as I hate to say it, you're right. But it's hard to live without any familiarity with this world."

"You might want to keep in touch with me." Charlotte joked, turning back to Taro with a grin. "I'm the only sense of familiarity you got."

"I'd sooner die alone than befriend you Warden." Taro growled.

"What's a Warden?" Charlotte asked mischievously, with a smirk. "I'm just a normal woman now."

Taro watched as Charlotte quickly disappeared into the crowd. He grumbles to himself as he goes inside.

" _Even when we're not at war, those knights can still be insufferable."_

He walks back inside just in time to see Musashi finish buying supplies. He rushes in to help the old man with the items he was carrying.

"I thought I told you to stay by the mall plaza."

"I was, but there was an event called an Expo happening, so it was crowded."

The old man takes out his phone and checks, before he realized something.

"Ah! My mistake, I thought the Tokyo Expo would be occurring in another venue." Musashi said while tucking his phone.

"No worries, let's go home." Taro replied as he joined Musashi in walking to the station.

Taro and Musashi quickly make their way back to the station, but Taro senses eyes on him again. He then tells Musashi.

"Do you have the feeling that you're being watched?"

"Uh, no. Why?"

"I don't know… It's just a feeling…" Taro said while entering the train station.

Musashi quickly pays for both his and Taro's train fare. They both stand and wait for the train. Taro then hears the squeal of two girls as they rush towards a certain man, who wore a very provocative smile.

"Sensei Midō! You're here!"

"Now, now girls. One at a time." he said in a sexy, baritone voice.

Taro notices the man get suddenly distracted by someone, as he approached a girl wearing a school uniform, who seemed to be hiding herself.

"Yan-chan, fancy meeting you here!"

Taro heard no response from the girl, but perked up from the name, "Yan-chan". Was this Ayano?

"Leave me alone." Ayano replied.

"Oh don't be so grumpy…" Midō said soothingly as he put a hand on her shoulder, much to the jealousy of the two girls from before. "It's been so lonely since you left Karejji."

"I left there for a good reason." Ayano said while shaking his hand off her shoulder. "Now go away."

And right on schedule, the train arrives, with Taro and Musashi entering the train. Taro could also see Ayano entering the train, leaving a very disappointed and downtrodden Midō at the waiting area. Thanks to his training as an Orochi, Taro had heard the whole conversation, even the juicy parts of it. But Taro knew very well that that was none of his business.

The train moves once again, with Taro looking at the night view, and it was wholly different from the day view. He saw giant building and pillars, all shining with bright lights decorating them. He saw all the colors, all the neon signs. The lighted billboards. It was amazing. Humanity had come so far, even conquering the darkness to create safe and secure cities. Taro could only dream of what else humanity could do.

But once again, the train comes to a stop, and Taro holds on tightly to make sure he didn't fall. He waits for the doors to open and they disembark. Taro looks to see that Ayano was already gone. He shrugs and follows Musashi back to the house. They walked through the dark streets, until they reached the house. Musashi unlocks the door and goes inside. But Taro stays outside, saying.

"You go on ahead ojisan, there is something I must do."

"Suit yourself Taro, I'll call you when dinner's ready."

Taro sat on the steps to his home, contemplating his present situation. He looked to the sky, but did not see the beautiful stars that he was so accustomed to, because the city lights and the clouds were blocking the sky. Maybe there was a small downside in living in this world. Taro breathes a huge sigh before saying.

"You know, if you want to spy on someone like me, you might want to improve your stealth skills."

The bushes immediately rustled as Taro grabbed the person in the bush by the hand. The person suddenly stood froze as Taro finally got a look of the person spying on him. And his suspicions were confirmed, it was Ayano. She wore a heavy blush while Taro stared at her.

"Why were you spying on me?"

There was no answer, she couldn't even act or speak properly.

"I d-don— I mean—" Ayano stuttered as she tried to find the words.

Taro took a huge sigh and said.

"Look, it's late and dinner's almost ready. Next time you want to watch me, do it where I can see you."

Taro let go of Ayano's hand, and she still stood there, blushing and embarrassed.

"So is there anything else you need from me?" Taro asked, before realizing that the food was cooked, smelling the food from afar. "How about you join my grandfather and I for dinner? It would be rude of us to deny you food."

Ayano suddenly looked flustered, her face turning red as a tomato, and her eyes dilating, indicating happiness. He could tell that she wanted to go inside, but didn't have the courage to say what she wanted. Taro opens the door and says.

"Inform your parents if you need to, I'll be waiting inside."

And with that, Taro walks in. As soon as Taro was out of sight, Ayano breathed a huge sigh of relief. She thought for sure that it would be game over the moment Taro discovered her spying on him. It was certainly a good thing that he was so merciful. And with her head clear, she takes a deep breath and walks in.

* * *

Taro watched as Ayano left the house, with her face and body language indicating contentment and happiness. It was clear that she was happy about what had happened. He waits a bit, before going back inside. He goes to the dinner table and helps Musashi clean up the table.

"I'm surprised that you let her in." Musashi commented while stacking the plates. "What's with the suddenly friendly mood?"

"Nothing." Taro said while climbing up to his room. "I'm going to bed!"

"Okay, your uniform is in the closet! Don't forget!"

As soon as Taro got inside his rom, he sat on the bed and contemplated on his situation. He couldn't help but feel nostalgic after truly interacting with Ayano. The first time they met at Akademi, Taro was still pre-occupied with his own business, but when Taro looked again, he realized that there was something ultimately familiar about her, something that made him remember his first encounter with a particular woman.

* * *

 _Taro meditated in the swamp, but could not concentrate, as he felt someone or something was watching him from the shadows. He immediately stands up and mutters._

" _I think someone might be watching me."_

" _If you're only thinking, then you're already dead." a distant voice commented._

 _Taro looked up to see a woman hanging from a tree up high,_ _clad in dark shinobi sh_ _ō_ _zoku with ropes and bombs in the belt and a Sanjaku-tenugui covering her face. Leather bracers and shoulder pads covering her_ _arms._ _He could see her ponytail, and her grey eyes that peered through her mask._

" _Y-You're a—"_

" _Shinobi, yes. I came to see how the new Orochi recruits are coming along."_

" _A-Are you the trainer?"_

" _No, far from it." the girl replied nonchalantly as she jumped down. "I'm also a shinobi in training, my master has yet to arrive. So I decided to spy on the rest of the recruits."_

" _Uhh okay." Taro said before asking. "How do you stay hidden so well?"_

" _I think the better question is how do you detect someone hidden so well." the shinobi said before unveiling her face._

 _Taro got a good look of her face as he saw a woman about his age, with the aforementioned ponytail and grey eyes. But he hears someone shout._

" _Ayano! Come down here!"_

" _Is that your master?"_

" _Yes, I must go." Ayano said while running off._

" _Wait!" Taro called out. "What's your name?"_

" _Ayano Aishi, just call me Ayano next time we meet." she replied before turning back to run again._

* * *

Taro remembered it clearly, the Ayano of his world was a talented Shinobi, in espionage, manipulation, seduction, writing, chemistry and especially assassinations. She was a master of her craft and the Dawn Empire was lucky to have her. Taro then thought back to when Ayano was spying on him from the bushes. While he did catch her, any normal person would not have such keen senses as that of an Orochi.

In a way, that Warden was still wrong. There were many objects and people in this world that still gave him a sense of familiarity. He didn't need to be so uptight, he just needed to loosen up a bit and adapt to this new environment. And with these thoughts, Taro drifted to sleep.

* * *

Taro wakes up, to see the sun shining down on his window. He rushes into the bathroom and takes a quick shower.

"I have to be fresh and clean for today!"

Taro then finishes and began putting on his uniform. As opposed to casual clothes, the uniform was a bit harder than the average clothing, but Taro managed to get past that. Taro runs downstairs to see Musashi stare shell-shocked at the television.

"Ojisan? Why are you so shocked?"

Musashi turned his head slowly to Taro and gave him a eerily calm smile.

"I am actually wondering that myself!" Musashi said cheerily while approaching Taro and bringing him to the television. "Could you explain why YOU'RE ON THE NEWS!?"

"What?"

"There's a clip of you fighting a certain woman in an Anime expo!"

Taro looked at the clip and realized that he was watching himself fight the lady Warden that he encountered at the Expo. Taro gasped in shock and screamed.

"Whoah! I didn't know that you could also take moving pictures!" Taro expressed in awe.

"That's not the point! Why were you fighting her!?"

Taro was left dumbstruck as he began backing up. Musashi furrowed his eyebrows and started approaching Taro.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I-I think I'm late for class." Taro said while backing to the door.

"Late? You don't even know how to read the time." Musashi countered as he cornered Taro.

With no way out, Taro then screamed.

"I'm sorry ojisan!"

Taro then rushed past the old man, grabbed his bag and burst out the door. He ignored his surroundings as he ran straight for school, without even paying attention to Osana, who had been waiting outside the whole time. Taro immediately then sees the school in view while running as he wondered.

" _I wonder what's in store for today."_

* * *

 **There we go! Another fic update finished! Next update will either be Nirn Calls for Warriors or Unstoppable Change. That will be completely up to me.**

 **Also, some of these characters are from the "Male Rival Introduction Video" uploaded April 1, 2017. So far, I've used Midō Rana and Osorō as Yan-chan's former (and albeit one-sided) love interests.**

 **BTW, this fanfic has the most favorites out of all Yandere Simulator crossovers, so thanks!**

 **May 27 - *RANDOM***

 **June 3 - Exiled Crusader or Returning at the Wrong Time**

 **June 10 - Orochi-senpai or Purge of Oestia**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3, 'nuff said.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of these franchises.**

* * *

Taro entered the school and tried to find his classroom.

" _3-2. Where's classroom 3-2?"_ Taro thought to himself while climbing the stairs

Taro finds a sign pointing to the classrooms. He follows the signs until he found the sign with 3-2 pasted onto it. He went to the classroom door, ready to enter. But a teacher comes out through the door and stops him.

"Mister Yamada?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Please stay outside for now, we will introduce you to the class shortly."

While Taro stood idly outside, he noticed a familiar face walking towards him. It was Charlotte Weber, the Warden he met and fought at the Tokyo Expo. Taro could only wonder what the likes of her was doing in this school. He noticed that she was wearing the a school uniform, thus piquing his curiosity. He was about to approach her but the classroom door burst open.

"Ah! Madam Charlotte! Good timing! We're just about to start the introductions with Mister Yamada!"

Taro decided to leave questions for now and entered with Charlotte. He finds himself in a class, with different people his age. He could see a plethora of different hair colors and hairstyles. It was certainly interesting for him. He then heard the class say.

"Good morning Miss Kanon!"

"Good morning class, and as you can see, we have new students! So why don't you introduce yourselves?"

Taro Yamada walked up and bowed, saying.

"Greetings, my name is Taro Yamada. I am the grandson of Musashi Yamada. I am a practitioner of kenjutsu, jiujutsu and other martial arts. I also practice archery and craftsmanship in my free time."

The class fell silent at the short yet concise introduction of Taro, but he did not mind. He was mature enough to shrug off the awkwardness. He then steps back, giving the floor to Charlotte.

"Hi everyone! My name is Charlotte Weber!" Charlotte greeted in a peachy voice.

The boys were mesmerized by how beautiful Charlotte was while the girls just rolled their eyes and huffed.

"I am a daughter of an German engineer who is currently working here in Buraza! I am a HEMA practitioner and a mixed martial artist. I am also a hobbyist blacksmith and a decorator!"

Taro rolled his eyes at her sunny behavior. He knew the boys weren't even listening to her, just staring at her beautiful face. Taro noticed that Charlotte made a small wink at him. Oh, if the students and the teacher wouldn't there, he would have choked that insufferable lady. Who knew that the knights could be so mischievous. This Warden was certainly more eccentric than the other ones he met.

The teacher then clears her throat and says.

"If we're done with introductions, please take a seat you two! We're going to start with the lesson today!"

Taro takes a seat in the third row, first column, right next to the window. Charlotte takes the seat right next to him. The teacher motions to start the lesson, but the door opens, revealing a woman with exposed cleavage, saying.

"Sorry for the interruption but I have an announcement to make!"

Taro and Charlotte perked up at the mention of that. Taro immediately recognized the woman as Genka Kunahito, the counselor he saw a few days back. He saw her enter the room.

"Okay class, with the overarching concern of the safety of the school grounds, due to the large numbers of delinquents gathering; we have decided to hire a special security chief for the safety of our students!"

Genka looks at the door and whispers.

"That's your cue."

A very tall and burly man walked in. He was wearing a security guard's uniform but it didn't hide his obviously heavy build. He didn't look Japanese, he was obviously of a foreign nationality. He had brown hair that was styled into a crew cut. He had a goatee surrounding his chin, though it seemed shaved for the job. His face was heavily scarred, but wore a smug smile, indicating possible arrogance.

His clothing seemed normal for a security guard. He wore a cap with his grey polo and pants. He bore a badge on his shoulder, containing the school insignia. He had a baton holstered onto his belt, together with a walkie-talkie. But the most eye-catching feature was his shield. It was a transparent, plastic shield that bore the words "security" on it. Taro and Charlotte whispered to each other.

"Do you really think he could be…"

"We'll see."

"Go on! Introduce yourself!" Genka encouraged.

The burly man stood in front and folded his arms, showing off his runic tattoos.

"Nice to meet y'all. Name's Bjorn Ruriksen, though folks just call by the nickname of "Warlord"."

The class trembled in fear at his imposing figure. This guy was more than a foot taller than them and could easily wipe the floor with any of them with two hands tied behind his back. Only Charlotte and Taro weren't so scared as they eyed him warily.

"Mister Ruriksen here is from Iceland and came to Japan looking for some work. He was a former wrestler and club bouncer. He has broken up many bar fights and has a very straight win record."

"Yep, fights always got ugly back in Iceland. I've many scars to tell about some of the scraps I've been in. But if you ain't seeing me fighting, then I might be off doing some carpentry on special projects."

"Wonderful! And how do you plan on dealing with delinquents?"

"Those runts? They're nothing! I've dealt with men twice their size and strength!" Bjorn boasted, before eyeing Taro and Charlotte. "And besides, the real threats are the ones you least expect."

"Very enlightening introduction Sir Ruriksen! Please continue with your rounds around the school! Your work here is done!"

"Glad to be of service madam." Bjorn said while tipping his cap and leaving the classroom.

The counselor turned back to the class and announced.

"Class, that will be all for today. Please continue with your lessons!"

Miss Kunahito leaves the room, thus allowing the teacher to continue with the lesson.

"Now class, open your Japanese Culture textbooks, we'll be covering Japanese Mythology."

Everyone quietly takes out their textbooks and opens them to the aforementioned lesson.

"Now to get our lesson started, we'll ask one of the top-notchers of the Japanese Culture exams, Taro Yamada!"

The whole class quickly glanced at Taro who was confused at all the attention.

"Mister Yamada here has earned the highest score in Japanese Culture out of all high schools across the country."

"I did?" Taro asked blankly.

"No need to act so modest Mister Yamada! Your achievement is well-recognized! Now explain to us how you seem so knowledgeable with Japanese culture!"

"Er, well…" Taro trailed off while scratching the back of his head. "I don't really have much to say. I was raised in a household that was dedicated to tradition. The culture is something I just kept to heart."

"Very well said! Class, I hope you're paying attention because it is quite obvious that many of you are failing this subject!"

Many students looked sheepish and avoided the disapproving look of their teacher.

"But anyway, we will first start with the major gods in the Shinto pantheon! Class, get your notes ready and pay attention! Because after this, we will have a pop quiz!"

The class groaned as they forced themselves to look at the board. Taro was quick to take out his notes. He needed the knowledge if he were to survive in his world.

* * *

 **Few hours later…**

The first few classes were over and Taro was a bit taxed from trying to absorb so much knowledge. But now it was Physical Education and he had the chance to finally stretch his legs. He gets his uniform ready as he entered the shower rooms. He quickly took off his normal uniform and began changing into his Physical Education uniform. He didn't notice the few boys who looked at his figure with jealousy.

Being a trained warrior, of course Taro's body was very well developed. Though his figure was slim, he had very visible muscles and abs. His body was covered with scars, which added to how intimidating and strong he looked. Of course, Taro paid no heed to what the others thought of him; he was just excited to finally stretch his legs. He puts on his plain, white shirt with blue outlines and navy blue shorts.

He exited the shower rooms to see the females wear the same colored outfit as they stood in front of the gym teacher. Taro saw that the teacher had medium length blonde hair. Her eyes were a turquoise blue and she had tanned skin. She wore a red tracksuit with white stripes. A silver whistle hung around her neck. The class shouted.

"Good morning Miss Kyoshi Taiso!"

"Good morning class! Now as you know, we are now starting our self-defense program for today! So you can finally learn to stand up to those delinquents!"

Some people groaned, others were a bit smug that they knew a little martial arts, others were a bit happy to know that they wouldn't be so helpless anymore.

"And it's good to see that our new students will be joining us for today!'

Everyone glanced at Taro and Charlotte, who were at the back of the class.

"Now to formally welcome you to our training program…" Kyoshi said while gesturing to the arena of training equioment on the side. "Let's start with gauging your fitness!"

Kyoshi walked up to the training bars and said.

"We'll gauge your upper-body strength by how many pull-ups you can do in a minute!" Kyoshi said while bringing out her stopwatch and record. "Who wants to go first?"

Taro politely raised his hand, together with Charlotte.

"Alright! Our new students would like to go first!"

Taro glared at Charlotte, who just gave him an innocent smile which irritated Taro even further. Taro went first on the bars. He jumped onto the bars and grabbed them.

"Okay! Your time starts now!"

Being at peak physical condition, Taro wouldn't give such mediocre results. He went up and down with rhythm and consistency, the fatigue barely catching up to him. The class watched in amazement as Taro did not seem to tire at all A minute passes by quickly as the teacher announced.

"Okay, that's enough!"

Taro quickly got off the bars and asked.

"So how was my performance?" Taro asked.

"Pretty impressive! Forty straight pull-ups, and I bet you can do more if you tried!"

Taro was a bit dissatisfied at that, he usually did a little better than forty, but this could be just one of his worse days. Charlotte goes up next and she looked so graceful as she jumped onto the bars. The girls watched with jealousy as the beautiful foreigner did her pull-ups, with the boys admiring her physique.

"Amazing! You did forty-two pull-ups!" Kyoshi said while writing it down.

Charlotte walked past Taro while giving him another smile. Taro glared back at her. This woman really liked peeving him so much. Taro then decided to sit down and watch the other students do their turns.

A few long minutes passed by and the students finally finished their tests.

"So from the results, I can tell that most of you are pretty weak in terms of strength, which isn't good when you get caught in a fight. Now we'll gauge your stamina by running one lap around the track!"

The students groaned as they got into position. But Taro, he was ready. Every moment of his life was leading up to this. Running. His main forte outside of fighting. He gets into position with the other students. The coach then blows the whistle and off they go. But Taro, he takes off in a burst of speed, he stays in the outer lane as he kept running and running.

The wind blew against his face as he sped through the whole track. The coach soon came to view and that caused Taro to stop. He was panting from all that running, but boy, did he feel alive.

"How did I perform?"

"A…" Kyoshi stuttered, before declaring. "AMAZING!"

Taro was caught off-guard by the sudden enthusiasm of the teacher.

"What was my time?" Taro asked.

"Forty seconds! You covered the whole track in less than a minute! You even left the others in the dust!"

Taro looked behind himself to see that the other students were barely half-way through the track and some were already tiring, except for Charlotte, who was a little far behind Taro.

"That's good to know, I'll just sit down for awhile."

"Okay, just wait for the other students to finish."

Taro sat down as he watched Charlotte also reach the finish line. She looked clearly tired as she went to her bench and grabbed her water. He just sat idly before he felt someone tap his shoulder. Taro looked behind him to see

"Yo! You're Taro Yamada right?"

"Yes I am." Taro replied.

"Yeah, so my name's Midori Gurin, nice to meet you!"

"Likewise."

"I've been meaning to ask you, what's your relationship with that German lady?"

"Her? You could say we had some history together." Taro said while trailing off. "Not good history, I can tell you that."

"Oh, is she your ex-girlfriend or something?"

"What's an eks-girlfriend?" Taro asked while tilting his head, before hearing the whistle.

"Okay class!" Kyoshi declared, interrupting conversation. "Now let's get to the grittier part!"

The coach then pointed to a white circle drawn in here.

"What I want you to do is have a friendly spar with a partner. Just push them out of the circle, nothing too rough!"

The class felt a bit hesitant to do it, while Taro and Charlotte rested in the back. The coach frowned at the hesitation and said.

"Okay, since no one is volunteering, I will have to call names!"

Taro then watched with amusement as he watched the inexperienced students then tried to push each other out of the circle. There was mostly pushing and light shoving. Watching the girls go at it was amusing as they went really soft on each other and they fought more like children than actual grown-ups. Kyoshi had to break up a few spars that got a little out of hand. But soon, it was only Taro and Charlotte left.

"Okay! Looks like our new students will be the last for today!" Kyoshi declared while gesturing to the white circle. "Please step in the circle."

Taro and Charlotte stepped in the circle and stood across each other. Taro got into jujustu stance while Charlotte entered a boxing stance. Taro takes a breath and closes his eyes. He exhales and opens his eyes. He once again enters the Orochi state of mind. Taro and Charlotte eyed each other before Kyoshi then shouted.

"Okay, begin!"

Taro and Charlotte circled each other, waiting for one to make a move. Taro then lunged and started a barrage of light attacks. His goal wasn't to hit Charlotte, but to make her back up until she went out of bounds. Charlotte blocks his attacks as she went on the defensive, backing up from his barrage. Taro thought he had finally cornered her, but Charlotte suddenly catches his fist, and she puts him into a lock. Charlotte then uses a sacrifice throw as she then drops and uses the momentum of her fall to throw Taro.

Taro could see that Charlotte was throwing him out of bounds, so he adjusts his footwork and relaxes, allowing him to change the trajectory of his landing. And much to everyone's shock, he lands on the very edge of the circle, just inches from being out of bounds. Both fighters quickly recover and get back into stance as the intensity causes them to lunge immediately at each other.

Charlotte charges with her shoulder, knocking Taro back. Taro then jumps back in and tries to throw a punch. Charlotte ducks under his punch, grabs his am, and tries to throw him out. Taro goes with the throw and lands perfectly on his feet. Taro then throws a hook which Charlotte blocks, who then throws a punch at his face. Taro feels the full force as he gets knocked down by the jab.

The coach suddenly blows the whistle as Charlotte realized her mistake. Taro slowly gets up, his mouth a bit bloody from that strong blow. Taro looked ready to kill, before he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, exiting the Orochi state of mind, finally calming down. The teacher then runs in and screams.

"Enough! Stop fighting!"

Kyoshi then rushed to Taro's aid as he got up.

"Mister Yamada, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Taro calmly replied while spitting blood from his mouth, before bowing to Charlotte. "You fought well."

"Do you wish to report this to the guidance counselor?" Kyoshi asked.

"No, it was my fault for getting hit. I'll walk it off." Taro replied while wiping more blood from his mouth. "I'll just go to the clinic."

"Do you want someone to bring you? Charlotte should be obliged to help you."

"Thank you, but I will decline. I can manage on my own."

And with that Taro walked past the crowd of classmates, with everyone making way for him. Though he was the obvious loser in that fight, the fact that he shrugged off his injury spoke volumes about how tough he was. He paid no heed to the stares of awe and fear his classmates gave him as he then entered the school and tried to find the clinic.

* * *

 **Later on…**

The nurse was a fascinating woman, very caring and compassionate to all her patients. The moment Taro walked in with his bloody mouth, she went haywire and rushed to get Taro to his bed and grabbed him an ice pack. People of this world were too soft. Taro has taken much worse blows than a mere jab. A Centurion's punch did much more damage than that blow by Charlotte. He sees the nurse approach him as she leaned forward and asked.

"Are you okay? That was quite a lot of blood coming from your mouth!"

"I will do okay for now."

"How did you get injured?" The nurse asked with much curiosity.

"Self-defense program. I got hit really hard in the face."

"Oh you poor thing!" The nurse said with much sympathy. "Do you need anything?"

"Maybe some water will do for now. Thank you." Taro replied curtly with a nod.

Taro then rested for a bit. That fight with Charlotte was really something. She was a good if not better fighter than he expected. He really had to give her props for being able to counter his attacks with grace and efficiency.

But his thoughts are interrupted by someone entering. He leans past the curtain to see who it was. Though he was expecting Charlotte, it was actually Osana who came in. He leans back in his bed and smiles at Osana who enters.

Though Taro couldn't remember Osana when he first saw her. He actually began to recognize her when he dug a little more into his past. It seemed that Osana was also his childhood friend back in his world, though the way she looked now was much different than how she looked in his world.

"Am I bothering you?" she asked timidly.

"No, not all. I appreciate the company." Taro replied politely.

Osana then sits down by the bed and hands Taro a box.

"I made you some lunch."

"Thank you." Taro replied as he grabbed the box and began eating.

"Taro… There's something I need to ask you." Osana said.

Taro then puts down the lunchbox, realizing the gravity of the situation. Osana was normally cold towards him. He could tell from her behavior during their last encounter that Osana had a crush on him. But this time was different, Osana sounded sincere and solemn, something that wasn't normal for her.

"What is it?"

"What happened to you while you were gone?" Osana asked. "You're completely different from the timid and quiet boy I grew up with. I need to know what changed you."

Taro couldn't say that he was actually a samurai who fought with knights and vikings, so he had to make something up.

"When I ran away from home, I learned to become independent. I had to look after myself and I learned to become strong. My life was always a battle of survival and I had to fight for my life most of the time. As soon as I came back, I became a different man, one who no longer shuns himself from the world."

Osana's eyes widened as she looked a bit teary-eyed from what Taro had said.

"I-I didn't know you had gone through so much." Osana said as she hugged Taro. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you through those times."

Taro smiled and returned the hug, and patted her on the back.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You couldn't have done anything. It's not your fault."

"But there's something else you need to know Taro. Before you ran away, I wanted to confess something to you."

"That you had feelings for me?" Taro asked with a smirk.

Osana's eyes were wide with shock as Taro chuckled at her dumbstruck face.

"It's something I learned along the way." Taro laughed. "Don't be so surprised."

"Yes… But seeing the person you've become… I don't think things can go back to the way they were. You've become a complete stranger to me, and I think those feelings of mine died after seeing what you have become."

Taro couldn't blame her for thinking like that.

"I completely understand Osana." Taro said. "But we can still be friends, yes?"

"Of course you dummy!" Osana chided, her mood completely changing. "I may not LIKE you anymore, but that doesn't mean we should stop being friends!"

Osana quickly became bashful at her outburst and sat down while sulking.

"So, friends?" Takayama asked while extending a hand.

Osana then glanced back at Taro with a smile as she then grabbed his hand and shook it.

"Friends."

"You should pass by ojisan's house every now and then. He'll be happy to see you."

"I'll be sure to do that!" Osana returned with a smile before hearing the bell. "Oh! That's the bell! Bye Taro!"

"Bye Osana." Taro replied.

"Oh Taro, before I go. Let's walk home together after school, for old times' sake. I'll be in Class 2-1."

"Of course."

Taro watched as Osana skipped away. He sighed in relief as he had finally settled things with her. Her old feelings did not die as hard as Taro expected and that was a good thing. Taro genuinely cared for Osana because he knew the other Osana back in his world, someone who desperately needed a friend.

* * *

 _A young Taro passes by a crying girl in the middle of the road. Her clothes were all dirty and muddy, tattered and torn. Her hair was not like that of other Japanese, it was orange and tied into twintails. He felt obliged to help her as he bent down and asked._

" _Hey, why are you crying?"_

" _The other kids called me a weirdo and a bastard!" the girl cried. "They said my mommy was a whore and a traitor for giving birth to me. And then they beat me up!"_

" _Why?"_

" _Because of my hair you idiot!" the girl erupted before sobbing. "My hair isn't like the others so they call me a half-breed disgrace!"_

" _What's wrong with your hair?" Taro asked._

" _It's orange! It's not like the black hair you have!" the girl screamed at Takayama before pulling his hair._

" _Ow!" Taro squeaked as he tried to release himself from the temperamental little girl._

 _The girl then realizes her mistake, recoils in fear and curls up in a ball._

" _P-Please don't hurt me like they did!"_

" _Why would I hurt you?" Taro asked._

" _Because I hurt you and you might beat me up because of my orange hair!"_

" _Why? I think the orange hair looks pretty."_

 _The girl then slowly uncurls as she looked at Taro with surprise._

" _Y-You really think so?" the girl asked with a bit of awe in her face._

" _I don't see anything wrong with having hair like that!" Taro declared as he then grabbed the girl's hand. "Come on, I'll bring you to my house to get you cleaned/"_

" _B-But what if they beat me up too?" the girl asked nervously while wiping her tears._

" _Don't worry, I'll protect you if they do. I know how to use a sword!" Taro boasted as he pulled up the girl before asking her. "My name is Taro Yamada, but you can just call me Taro. What's yours?"_

" _M-My name is Osana… Osana Najimi."_

* * *

Osana Najimi was a different girl in his world. She was the bastard of a knight raping one of the samurai women, resulting in a child that was mixed with both their blood. As soon as Osana was brought back to the Myre, she was shunned, discriminated and cast out from society. It was only through Taro that she found hope to integrate herself in society. Though many opposed Taro's efforts to befriend her, Taro vehemently defended Osana with everything he had and it paid off. Osana became a respected Nobushi, who fought for the people who shunned her years ago. Taro fondly remembered all the times he shared with her as a child.

This world was becoming more and more familiar to him. Not because of the culture or the places, but by the people he meets. Ayano, Musashi and Osana. Maybe there were more familiar faces in this world for him to meet. He just had to look a bit harder.

But for now, Taro had to settle with being friends with Osana.

* * *

Taro realized that he needed to get back to class. He stretches in bed and cracks his neck. He gets off his bed and gives the ice pack to the nurse.

"Thank you for the ice pack, I will be going back to class now."

"Okay, just come back if you need anything!"

Taro caresses his swollen jaw as he makes it back to class. Where the teacher was writing the lesson on the board. The teacher notices his presence and says.

"Well Mister Yamada, good to see that you're doing well."

"I'm in good condition sensei." Taro said while sitting down.

"Well, I hope you don't hold it against Charlotte."

"Keeping a grudge is immature. I assure you that I feel no ill towards her."

"Okay, good! Now we can begin on World History! Our next lesson will cover the ever-popular Viking Age of Scandinavia!"

Taro was ready to have a field day with this one, but so was Charlotte, as she was ready to answer everything the teacher threw at them. Taro gets ready too. Even if he lost in the spar, at least he should beat her somewhere else.

* * *

 **Few hours later…**

Another few subjects later and Taro finally finishes his lessons for the day. Now it's club time. He remembers that he has to take pictures of the Gardening Club for Musashi as he then packs his stuff. Due to toying a bit with the phone, he was able to find out how to take pictures. He plans on exiting the room, but he sees Charlotte waiting outside.

"What do you want?" Taro asked.

"I will be joining you for awhile. I don't really have many friends here, so I'll just stick with you for now."

"I'm sure the other boys will be more than happy to take you in Warden." Taro growled, still remembering who Charlotte really was.

"But it will be much more satisfying to pester you instead." Charlotte countered as she walked up to him. "So, where to?"

Taro groaned. This Warden was really annoying him, but he knew that attacking her would be much more trouble than it's worth. He begrudgingly relents and lets Charlotte join him.

"I will probably observe the other clubs to see if there is anything interesting, then I will pass by the Gardening Club to take a few pictures of their garden."

"Sounds like a plan." Charlotte said confidently.

Taro grumbled to himself about how much he hated the Warden, much to Charlotte's amusement.

Taro heads down to the different club rooms as he sees the numerous choices. He sees the most interesting one being the Drama Club. He was no stranger to theater. He has watched Kabuki more times than he would like to admit. He and Charlotte enter the door to see Ayano standing with a bloody knife over the body of a girl with purple hair styled into twin tornadoes. Before Taro and Charlotte could react, the body suddenly moves.

"Oh! I have been stabbed, I can feel my life draining away!"

Taro and Charlotte stared blankly as they realized that the two were just rehearsing a scene. But what surprised Taro was that Ayano was a part of the Drama Club.

"Yan-chan, I didn't know you were a part of—"

Ayano suddenly burst out the door and ran away. Though she was fast, Taro could see the flustered look on her face. Maybe Taro shouldn't have barged in on them.

"What's with her?" Charlotte asked.

"She's really shy around me." Taro replied curtly, before turning to the purple-haired girl. "You, what's your name?"

"Kokona Haruka!" the girl replied enthusiastically. "You two must be the new students who fought each other!"

"Yes." Taro said sheepishly. "Though I'd rather not talk about it."

"So what was that girl doing here?" Charlotte asked.

"Oh, she was just helping me rehearse a scene! With the other club members absent today, I needed someone to help me rehearse a murder scene for the upcoming school play!"

"Oh okay, so this is what the Drama Club does then?"

"Yes, we really value the art of theater!" Kokona said eagerly, before asking. "Are you two interested?"

"Oh, we're just exploring, don't mind us!" Charlotte replied, before hearing a strange sound.

The strange sound was a ringtone that interrupted the conversation, Kokona picks up the phone and tells Taro and Charlotte.

"Give me a minute!"

Kokona goes into the back to continue her phone call. But Taro still had his sharp hearing, he listened in on the conversation.

"Why are you calling me now?"

" _Hehehe, didn't you forget about our deal?"_

"B-But today? I-I can't!"

" _Either you come today, or no money for you."_

"O-Okay… Where do you want to meet?"

" _Shisuta Town, in the Heavenly Hearts Brothel."_

"O-Okay."

Taro could feel something sinister behind that phone call. Overhearing the phone call, it seemed that Kokona was involved in some heavy stuff, though he felt it wasn't in his place to interfere. Taro just decided to let sleeping wolves lie.

Kokona returned to them and bowed.

"I'm really sorry, but I have to go!"

Kokona then rushes past them as she ran outside the school. Charlotte gives Taro glance of confusion at what had just happened, though Taro seemed unfazed. Taro realizes that he still had other tasks to complete.

He then goes to the garden where the plots of soil were. But he couldn't see any sign of the beautiful garden that Uekiya boasted about. All he saw was a badly trashed area, filled with dead leaves and scattered flowers. He sees Uekiya Engeika kneeling in absolute defeat as he then slowly approached her.

"Uekiya…?"

"Oh. Hey Taro…"

"What happened? Where is the garden?"

"The Karejji Delinquents came by and trashed it all… Because they wanted revenge for the humiliation they suffered at the hands of one of the students here…"

Taro grit his teeth, those bastards just wouldn't give up. He ended dragging innocent people into his business. He would have to pay them a visit soon, but his revenge would have to wait. He then kneels to comfort Uekiya.

"Don't worry about it too much." Taro consoled before he walked off.

Charlotte knew it wasn't in her place to interrupt Taro as he stomped away to find some alone time.

* * *

Taro's mood was ruined for the day. It seemed this world had problems of its own. If problems like these were rampant then this world wasn't as perfect as he had hoped. He sat down on the grass and reflected on what to do, almost forgetting that Charlotte was approaching him.

"I know a person who could help you with this."

Taro looked at Charlotte with a skeptical face. This person was offering to help him? The Warden who was trained to fight him for years? But considering his circumstances, he couldn't deny any help. Charlotte then hands him a card.

"Here's her number. She's the same person who gave me your phone number, so she should be able to help you."

Taro then took the card and read the name on it.

 **Info-chan**

"Are you sure?" Taro asked humorlessly, making a very straight face at Charlotte.

"Absolutely. She's quite the genius with modern technology, making her especially helpful to primitive people like us who aren't so acquainted with technology and gadgets."

"I'll take your word for it Warden." Taro said with a nod. "My thanks."

A honk could be heard as Taro saw a car parked outside. The window rolls down to reveal a middle-aged man as the driver in uniform.

"Looks like my chauffeur is here! See you tomorrow Orochi!"

Taro nodded but couldn't help but wonder how the Warden was able to integrate herself so well in this world. If she had a personal carriage driver, then she must have had some form of wealth.

But he decides to investigate on a later date.

He decided to drop in on Osana. After all, he did promise to walk home with her. He goes to the second floor and prepares to enter the 2-1 classroom, but he hears Osana say.

" _Fine! I won't call the police. Look, this is a bad time for me. We'll talk about this later. Just...don't do anything rash, okay?"_

Taro couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, but it seemed that Osana was distressed about something. He then knocks on the door to catch Osana's attention. She jumps at the sound and chides.

"Don't scare me like that! I almost had a heart attack you idiot!"

"So, are you walking home with me or not?" Taro asked while folding his arms.

"Geez, okay! I'm going!"

Taro and Osana exited the school and went down the road in Buraza Town. He passed by the bakeshop he visited and decided to strike up a conversation about it.

"Have you tried the pastries there?"

"Of course, Amai makes the best cookies!" Osana said cheerfully.

"Yep, I do wish I could eat some more."

"She's actually the Cooking Club president, it's just that she had to take a leave from school to tend the shop while her mother was sick."

"Oh, so that explains a lot."

As Taro and Osana walked down the road to his house, with Osana being strangely silent. Taro knew it had something to do with that phone call she had earlier. It seemed serious, almost as serious as Kokona's phone call. Taro then decides to act on his curiosity.

"So, who were you talking to on the phone?" Taro queried.

"Y-You heard that?" Osana asked with surprise in her voice.

"It's a little hard not to hear you talk on the phone."

"I-It was just a prank caller!" Osana frantically answered. "You know people these days!"

Taro could tell that Osana was clearly lying but he decided not to push the issue further as he just decided to enjoy a moment with a friend. He will worry about the well-being of his friends tonight, but for now, he should enjoy the peace that this world offered. But that didn't mean he would let it rest for long.

As soon as Taro's house came to view, he then tells Osana.

"You should have dinner with us!" Taro encouraged.

"No thank you, I still need to do things at home!" Osana replied stubbornly.

Taro then opens the gate for her, inviting her in.

"Come on, ojisan will be delighted to see you again!" Taro encouraged once again.

Though Osana was sulking and huffing, Taro knew that she really wanted to enter. Osana makes a hesitant glance before finally admitting.

"Okay, fine! Just for one visit!" Osana said with a huff.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Taro asked while opening the door.

Osana enters through the doorway, to see a smiling Musashi serving dinner.

"Ah, Osana! It's been quite a while!"

Osana takes a deep breath and enters too. While her feelings for Taro have died, their friendship lives on. Even if she did not crush on Taro, that was no reason not to pay him a visit every now and then. Even though Taro had changed, for better or for worse, she was finally happy to have her old friend back in her life. It was better than walking the shady streets at night.

* * *

 **At night, in Shisuta Town…**

Bjorn walked down the shady streets of Shisuta Town. Thanks to an anonymous tip, he should be able to find those troublemakers who trashed the school garden. The school had video evidence, all Bjorn needed to do was get those little runts. He was getting close to the hideout of the delinquents but he hears a scream.

"N-NO! D-DON'T DO THIS!"

Bjorn immediately runs to the source of the noise, a dark alleyway. He ran as fast as he could until he saw a corner where he saw an old man trying to undress a young purple-haired girl. Bjorn took a closer look and realized the girl was Kokona Haruka. The old man was acting very perverted as he began caressing Kokona.

"Come on~ You know you want to!" the old man said invitingly.

"NO! PLEASE! THIS IS TOO MUCH!" Kokona screamed while thrashing.

Bjorn stuns the old man and then slams him against the wall with his shield. The old man was briefly stunned by the attack, but then growls at Bjorn.

"How dare you attack me! Don't you know who I am!?" the old man asked, enraged at the stranger's interference.

"Like I'm going to let a dirty old man touch a little girl." Bjorn growled before stepping forward to take down the old man

The old man futilely tries to punch Bjorn, but Bjorn catches his fist. Bjorn then headbutts the old man, putting him down for good. He takes out his handcuffs and chains the man. He then goes to Kokona and crouches down to her, asking.

"You alright?" Bjorn asked while examining Kokona's clothing, which was torn and tattered. "He messed you up pretty good."

"Y-Yes… Thank you Mister Bjorn." Kokona stuttered, surprised that the scary security guard saved her out of all people.

"No problem." Bjorn said while standing up. "I'll go call the police, you just stay here."

"O-Okay…" Kokona timidly replied as she relaxed.

Bjorn takes out his emergency device with a police hotline shortcut. He didn't give a damn on who this man was. He was threatening the safety of this young woman. It reminded him of how much he valued the protection of his own people. That was one reason he became a Warlord, to lead the charge to protect his people. Though his people were no longer around, he still had students to protect.

" _This is the Shisuta Town Police Department, how may I help you?"_

"Ah, officer. I caught a man attempting to rape a minor. I have performed a citizen's arrest and I await your assistance."

" _Thank you for being a responsible citizen. We will be there shortly. Please watch over the minor and the suspect."_

Bjorn hung up the phone and frowned. It seemed that he'll have to call off his search for the Karejji delinquents. For now, he had to ensure the safety of the Akademi students as he went back to Kokona and tried to comfort her. Bjorn couldn't help but feel something was off, like another potential disaster was soon to happen, he felt it. Maybe the gods were trying to tell him who was the next threat to school safety.

* * *

 **Aishi Residence**

Ayano looked at her desk proudly, her senpai shrine was finished. For the day, she collected his bloodstained bandage from the fight with Charlotte. She collected a photo of him, courtesy of the Photography Club. She collected the ice pack he used to caress his bleeding jaw. She even found a small piece of Taro's tooth that fell out after Charlotte clocked him right in the jaw.

But her work wasn't finished. Though she couldn't stalk Taro, she had other problems to deal with. She had been assessing all the threats and though she had concluded that Osana was no longer a threat; Charlotte, on the other hand, she was problematic. If Ayano wasn't careful, Charlotte could swoop in and take away her senpai from her. She picks up the phone and dials a number.

" _This better be good Yan-chan. I've got a lot on my plate already."_

"You still owe me that favor." Ayano clarified.

" _Okay, fine. But make it simple."_

"I want you to give me a file on a woman named Charlotte Weber."

" _Done, check your email. Now leave me alone. I'm expecting a_ _ **very**_ _important call from someone and I can't have you jeopardizing it."_

Ayano snaps her cellphone, wondering what could be so important for Info-chan to be so dismissive.

* * *

 **Yamada Residence**

Taro sat in his bed and stared at his phone. He wondered if he really could do something about those damned delinquents, or Osana's phone problem. Hell, there were so many people in need and yet he felt so helpless in trying to reach out to them. If Info-chan is really as good as that Warden said she was, then she should be useful. He took the phone and dialed the number from the card. He then puts the phone to his ear and waits for someone to pick up. As soon as the dial tone stops, he asks.

"Er… Is this Info-chan?"

There was a bit of static, but the following words sent chills down his spine.

" _ **Taro Yamada, I've been wanting to talk to you for a long time."**_

* * *

 **That's it! Drama everywhere! Geez, I feel bad for jamming so much into a single chapter, but I'm just rushing to get the pace going! Anyway, some of you might be curious as to how the Warden and the Warlord also entered the world of Yandere Simulator.**

* * *

 **Omake#1: Brief Summary of Charlotte's Arrival**

Charlotte didn't think that this was the end. Sinking to the bottom of the ocean, dying to the Shugoki that knocked her into the water. She couldn't breath, the light was getting dimmer and dimmer. She felt her body freeze from all the water entering her body as her eyes began to close forever.

But she wakes up, in a strange white room, filled with strange objects and people surrounding her. She could feel the soreness of her body as she tried to move. But somehow, something restricted her from moving too far.

"Oh my god! She's awake!" one nurse screamed.

Charlotte could only wonder what those people were doing there. She weakly asks.

" _Quid?"_ (What?)

"You've been out for a long time sweetie. Just rest…"

" _Meum armis…"_ Charlotte called out weakly. _"Ubi est…"_ (My armor… Where is it?)

"What? Is she speaking Latin?"

* * *

 _OUR TOP STORY TONIGHT!_

 _MISSING DAUGHTER OF FAMED ENGINEER AND ENTREPRENEUR FOUND AFTER DISASTROUS SHIPWRECK_

" _That's right folks, you heard it right! Charlotte Weber, the daughter of Heinz Weber has been found after being declared missing when her cruise ship sank near the coast of Italy!_

 _Reports say that she was taking a cruise in the Mediterranean before a huge storm hit and sank the ship. Though authorities feared her to be dead, her body was found on the coast of Sicily, alive and well._

 _Though the most puzzling aspect of her survival was that her body was clad in knightly armor, with a longsword strapped to her._

 _After she was rushed to the hospital, doctors say that she has suffered amnesia from the trauma of the shipwreck and possible dementia, due to her sudden ability to speak Latin, which was something she never learned, according to her father. We still await further updates from the Florence General Hospital."_

* * *

Charlotte had left the hospital. Though it took some time, she finally was able to trick the doctors into thinking her dementia was gone. Though she never really understood why the doctors thought that she was crazy for saying that she was a knight. Those painstakingly long days at the hospital taught her to be more secretive about her origins.

* * *

Charlotte's cover was so far and so good. She managed to integrate herself into society without much suspicion since many attributed her lack of knowledge and strange behavior to her dementia. But now, it was different. She was going to Japan, and based on her knowledge, it was just like the Myre, full of the samurai. Charlotte was ready to let go of her hostility, because she knew, she lived in a world where war and fighting were over.

Her father was taking a business trip to Japan and she had to go with him. Her father didn't want her to study in the mainstream schools in Tokyo or Osaka. Instead, he chose a school that was low-profile but still high quality for his daughter. It was in a town west of Tokyo in the countryside, named Buraza Town.

Strangely enough, as soon as she arrived in Tokyo, she received a strange call. A call from a girl who preferred to call herself **Info-chan**.

* * *

 **Omake#2: Brief Summary of Bjorn's arrival**

Bjorn was falling. Being executed by the knights, he was pushed into a pit full of spikes, impaling his brothers and sisters. He could only close his eyes and wait for it to all end. He soon feels a sharp pain in his back and the world goes dark.

But he wakes up, in cold pavement, in a strange new land filled with stone buildings. He tries to investigate, though he felt tired from what he had experienced. He peeked out to see completely different people wearing different clothing. Through a bit of reconnaissance, he discovered he was in a land called Iceland, a place one filled with Vikings. Which was probably how he could speak their language so well.

Since he knew nothing of this world, he decided to make a name for himself the only way he could.

Through fighting.

Bjorn entered into many wrestling matches, coming out the winner in every single one. He made his living through beating the crap out of all the opponents he fought. And that was when he caught someone's eye. A club owner wanted him to guard the front door of his pub, promising much higher payment than these underground street fights.

And Bjorn did just that, guarding the front of a pub with his newly purchased riot shield and baton. His presence always ensured peace and quiet within the bar and if there were any fights, he was quick to shut them down. But that was until he knew the true nature of the bar.

The bar was home to illegal prostitution, something that Bjorn was opposed to. Being a man of honor, prestige and family values, he quit his job and reported it to the police.

Bjorn was left with nothing after that, his only hope was to find a job somewhere else. Thankfully, one of his old sparring mates talked of an easy job to grab in this nation called Japan. Bjorn only needed someone to take care of his papers and he would finally have a new livelihood. He arrives in the country, noticing its similarities with the samurai, but he let go of that a long time ago.

Thankfully, unlike the other Vikings, he knew how to speak Japanese and was able to find directions to Buraza Town.

* * *

 **Here are the brief explanations, I'll expand more on them sooner or later.**


	4. Fan-submitted Omake: Honor of the Dead

**Look, I rarely make updates like this, but user Krylsten sent me an AMAZING alternate scenario for For Honor. He sent it to me through Private Messenger and I wanted to show it to you guys!**

 **High School Of The Dead x For Honor**

* * *

Taro wakes up in the middle of a strange alley. He could barely recognize his surroundings as he tried to explore his surroundings. He follows the sight of smoke, thinking that there was a collection of people ahead. Instead, he ran into a crowd of people, who looked too mutilated and bloody to even be alive. Recognizing the undead, Taro whips out his katana and gets ready to fight the horde.

He masterfully starts slashing and decapitating heads, being very familiar of how the undead worked from ancient legends. His armor provided ample protection against those who were too close for comfort. Being a calm and concentrated fighter, Taro easily defeated the small group of undead. But he noticed that he lost his helmet in the process, as he sees it fall into a giant hole near a supposed construction sites. He shrugs and decides not to claim it.

He crouches down to examine the heads, which were still alive. He was smart not to get too close, as these disembodied heads could still do good damage if he was not careful. Taro collected the bodies and threw his spare fire bomb at the corpses. He knelt and bowed before the gods and thanked them for his victory. But he could hear whispers in the background.

 _"Who is he?"_

 _"Probably some overzealous otaku; he'll be too dangerous for us. Let's knock him out while he's not looking and loot his belongings."_

 _"Yeah! Go sensei!"_

Taro had a very sharp sense of hearing as he knew the sinister plot of the hidden people. He kneels and closes his eyes, before he finally feels a presence behind him. He draws his katana and stabs whoever was behind him, prompting one of the hidden girls to scream.

"Sensei Shidō!"

Taro watched as the body of a tall and lanky man fell from his counter-attack. He sees a few youngsters gang up on him with strange clubs as their weapons. He then pulled his sword from the dead body of the man unlucky enough to try and sneak up on him. He then sees a few younger boys charge at him with strange metal clubs.

Taro ducked under one boy's swing before kneeing him and slashing his spine. Another boy tries a swing, but Taro parries it and stabs the boy's guts. Another boy nearly gets him, but Taro blocks and kicks him into the fire. He then takes out his kunai as he threw two of them at the two remaining boys who were charging at him.

Taro saw that he killed all the males of the group that attacked him. He was running out of patience as he then approached the group of girlss who were huddled together in fear. He grabs one of them as she screamed.

"No! No! Please, don't do this!"

Taro's patience ran dry as he slapped her across the face, silencing her. He grabbed her by the collar and asked.

"Where is the nearest settlement?"

"W-We were heading that way to a safe zone from Them." The young girl stuttered as she pointed to one direction.

Taro dropped the girl and started to head in that general direction.

"W-Wait! You're not going to help us?"

"It was your fault for being in a group of incompetent fighters. If any of you had any brains, you wouldn't be sitting there like idiots and you would have started running for safety."

"But w-we're too scared to get there!" one of the girls cried before bowing to him. "Please, bring us with you!"

Taro pondered on it for a bit, before turning back to face them.

"Fine, but you will follow all my orders and you **will** obey them. Understand?"

"Yes!" the girls replied, before one girl spoke up. "But what do we call you?"

"Just call me Yamada-sama. Now get a move on, I won't be waiting for any of you."

The girls squeaked as they frantically followed Taro, who was in no mood for any bullshit that he had went through already. He had to kill a group of abominations, before killing a pack of overzealous looters, and then having to babysit a bunch of baby whiny girls who can't move an inch without a guardian, and it wasn't even nightfall yet. His only hope was to get to this "safe zone" before anything else got complicated.

* * *

 **That was AMAZING! I really wish Krylsten would make this into a full-blown story, I would read the crap out of it. Do me a favor and bother him too!**

 **Though I wondered why Taro was more of a prick here, Krylsten explained that:**

 **1\. Taro was thrust back into battle right away, since the peaceful world disappeared during the infection.**

 **2\. Wasn't given a proper explanation of the modern world**

 **3\. Didn't know how to integrate into society because of the apocalypse**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Do I own this? Actually, no I don't. Nothing will change that.**

* * *

Taro packed up his things and dressed into his uniform. He was getting a bit used to dressing up into this world's clothing. He goes downstairs to grab the bento box prepared by his grandfather and waves to Musashi before he walks out of the house. Taro looked beyond the fence and noticed that Osana was right outside waiting for him.

"Shall we?" Taro offered.

"Sure!" Osana replied enthusiastically.

Taro and Osana walked down the road to school, conversing and making small talk. But once again, Taro sees the baking shop from before. He sees Amai cleaning the outside of the bakeshop and waves to her. Amai sees him and gives him a gentle smile as both Taro and Osana stop to talk to her.

"Hello Amai, how are you doing?" Taro asked with much concern in his voice.

"I'm doing fine, thanks!"

"We heard your mother was sick!" Osana added in.

"Yes, but she's getting better now!" Amai replied cheerily. "She's doing the dishes right now and she'll soon be going back to baking!"

"Oh that's good! I hope your mother has a rapid recovery!" Taro said with much delight.

"Me too! I can't leave the Cooking Club to my right-hand forever!"

"I can't wait to have some of your pastries again!" Osana exclaimed enthusiastically while drooling at the thought.

"And I do look forward to trying your pastries, I still have yet to try them."

"Oh, I'll be sure to whip you up something next week! I hope that you'll like them!"

"I'm quite sure you won't disappoint, I have a feeling that you're a great cook just from looking at you!"

Osana and Amai shared a glance of confusion.

"Er, what do you mean?"

"Forgive me for being so bold, but you project an image of someone caring and nurturing. Someone who finds joy in making her loved ones happy. Sort of like a loving wife who cooks for her husband."

"W-Wife!?" Amai expressed in a flustered manner.

"Well… She does find great joy in cooking." Osana added in.

"Haha, yes she does! If I didn't know better, I would have thought she had a boyfriend to cook for!"

Taro noticed that Amai twirling her hair while averting her gaze.

"I-I'm actually single right now…"

"Oh, that's a surprise." Taro said with a hint of disbelief. "Then I can see that you are very dedicated to your craft then, and that's something admirable."

"You really think so?" Amai asked in wonder, her blush deepening.

"Of course!" Taro said while walking forward to continue his journey. "But if you find someone special, I'm quite sure that you can make him very happy."

Taro then walked away while waving back, leaving a flustered and enamored Amai at the bakeshop front. continuing his walk towards Akademi, with Osana catching up to him.

"Wow Taro, I didn't think that you were a smooth talker!"

"Oh that was just from the heart. No speaking skills needed when you have the passion to back it."

"So you really meant those things that you said?" Osana asked incredulously.

"Why wouldn't I?" Taro asked while tilting his head.

Osana giggled at that, Taro was still innocent in the matters of romance after all, but her giggling prompts her to cough out a certain white liquid. Taro quickly catches this and asks.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a bit tuckered out from studying, you know me!"

Taro could tell that she was lying once again, he quietly gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in anger. He was going to find the bastard she was talking to on the phone. But he had to concentrate on the lessons for the day as they arrived at Akademi.

* * *

Taro quietly sat in his seat and meditated while waiting for the teacher. He needed a calm mind and slow breathing to take in all that they were learning for the day. He was in a serene state of mind before he heard someone call him.

"Yamada!"

Taro was annoyed at the interruption of his meditation and glared at whoever was calling him. He sees a pair of boys in front of him.

"What do you want?"

The two boys then bowed in front of Yamada.

"Yamada-same please introduce us to your foreign friend, Charlotte!"

"No."

The two boys were shocked at the quick rejection.

"But—"

"I'd sooner put a sword through my neck than speak with that infuriating woman."

"Aw, can't you be a little more open-minded?"

The two boys backed up and blushed while Taro gave a scowl at the approaching blonde.

"I'm not in the mood." Taro curtly said.

"Aw, I know we've had our fights but can't we have a fresh start?" Charlotte asked.

"Fresh start!? After what you did, I'm not going to let go of that easily!" Taro countered.

The boys then backed up as they realized they had no place in this conversation.

"W-We'll just head off. We can't interfere in a lover's quarrel!"

Taro growled at them as they ran back to their respective chairs.

"Fools." Taro grumbled as he turned to Charlotte. "We need to come up with a communication system so that people can't eavesdrop on what we are saying."

"Hmmm… Good point. Why do we not simply speak in another language? Most of the students here mainly speak Japanese anyway."

"So what should we use?"

" _How about English?"_ Charlotte asked, changing her language on a dime.

" _Too recognizable."_ Taro replied in English.

" _Wie wäre es mit Deutsch?"_ Charlotte asked in German. (How about German?)

" _Nein, ich habe ein begrentes vokabular."_ Taro replied. (No, I have a limited vocabulary.)

" _Alors alors français?"_ Charlotte asked in French. (French then?)

" _Non, je peux à peine parler une phrase complète."_ Taro replied in broken French dismissively. (No, I can barely speak a full sentence.)

" _Latin fortasse?"_ Charlotte asked one last time. (Latin perhaps?)

" _Quod suus optimus arbitrium, nemo non agnoscis lingua mortua est."_ Taro replied casually. _"Et unus de paucis loquetur linguae sum."_

(That's the best choice, no one will recognize a dead language. And it is one of the few languages that I speak fluently.)

Taro and Charlotte ended their conversation to only see a slack-jawed teacher and awestruck classmates. Taro was confused at their shock, spies like the Orochi were expected to have some sort of fluency in numerous languages. The knights were a tricky bunch to spy on because they spoke a plethora of languages, Taro had to learn not just Latin, but also other minor dialects to be a successful scout and collector of vital information. Taro had recently learned that the knight dialects were native in this world to a continent called Europe, so he had assumed that knowing the language would be a staple.

"Mister Yamada, what language were you speaking to Miss Weber?"

"Forgive me if I can't remember the names, but I do believe that I was speaking German, English, and…?" Taro trailed off while turning to Charlotte for help.

"Latin and French." Charlotte finished. "We are both multilingual speakers, so we have mastery over some languages."

"I'm not surprised with your multilingual ability Miss Weber, but I somehow can't help but think Taro has yet to explain himself."

"I grew up in an environment that required learning other languages, that's all that I will have to disclose."

"Oh! That makes sense! I must applaud you for that Mister Yamada! Because we certainly can connect this to our lesson on Europe! Open your textbooks class, we are now going to cover the Portuguese arrival in Japan!"

The class groaned as they opened their textbooks, though Taro was fascinated to finally learn the encounter between the samurai and the former knights.

* * *

Put on the navy blue shorts and white shirt, same drill. It was Day 2 of Self-Defense class and Taro wondered if there was anything different going to happen. They see Kyoshi walk up to the front and announced.

"Okay class! It's the second day of Self-Defense training and I hope you're ready for some sword fighting!"

Kyoshi then took out a bunch of swords that were amazingly light. Katanas, broadswords, axes were all in there, though they were made of a soft material that prevented them from dealing any damage. The class gathered in front of the crates and grabbed their individual swords. By tradition, Taro chose the katana while Charlotte chose the longsword.

Kyoshi then gestures to the circle, the same circle where Taro and Charlotte had their intense sparring. Maybe it won't be as harmful with these foam weapons.

"Okay! Now here are the rules! You have ten points of health! Every sword hit is one point of health! Whoever loses all his or her health points loses the game. Got it?"

"Yes sensei!"

"Good, now partner up!"

Students immediately flocked to their friends, leaving Taro and Charlotte together alone. Kyoshi grins and says.

"Well, well, well. Looks like we'll be having another rematch! Let's leave the best for last!"

Taro and Charlotte sat down and watched the amateurs duke it out. Some made the mistake of telegraphing their attacks, others made the mistake of shouting and announcing their attacks which Taro always blamed on the "anime" that they show on media. The students were concentrated on using their weapons only, rather than using everything at their disposal. No elbows, no kicks or punches, not a single break of guard. It was almost pitiful, these guys could easily get wiped out by a simple soldier. But all the fights were over, it was now his and Charlotte's turn.

Taro and Charlotte entered the circle and got into stance, ready to fight. Charlotte goes into side guard, with Taro doing the same. It got real quiet as they glared at each other before rushing in. Charlotte tries a shoulder bash, but Taro spins out of the way and slices her stomach. He then tries an attack from the top, but Charlotte parries it and hits Taro with a quick double-slicer.

Charlotte then hits Taro's stomach stunning him, and then hitting him with a another quick double-slicer. She then tries a top attack but Taro parries the blade, sliding it off before stabbing Charlotte. Taro then spins and does an area attack that sends Charlotte back before stepping back and rushing forward, delivering a slice to her side. Charlotte then tries to stun Taro with her sword pommel, but Taro dodges and slices her stomach, before giving a double-slicer and rushing back.

The class was stunned, though it looked like Charlotte had that for a second, Taro completely turned the tables on her and now it was looking bad for the blonde beauty. Taro had six health points while Charlotte only had three points. Charlotte's demeanor changed, she was hell-bent on winning this and Taro felt intimidated by her determination.

Charlotte charges in and ducks under a slash by Taro before poking him with her sword. Taro tries a top attack, but Charlotte parries it again and does a double slicer. Taro had only three points left, but Charlotte was keeping him on the ropes. Charlotte shoulder bashes Taro, stunning him and then delivering another double-slicer. Taro had only one point and he could see that Charlotte was going to finish him off with a mordhau.

But not today. Taro raises his katana and parries the blow, before stunning Charlotte with a palm strike and delivering another double-slicer. Taro tries to stun Charlotte again, but she counters and pushes him back. This was intense, they both only had one health point left. Taro and Charlotte glared at each other as either one was hesitant to make the first move.

But Charlotte suddenly lunges again, hoping to get a strike in. But much to Taro's shock, she falls over a random rock in the ground. Taro could only see Charlotte flying towards him before his world became black.

Granted, he wasn't knocked out. He was still very much conscious of what was happening as he listened to the outside world.

"Goodness gracious!"

"What happened!?" the voice of Kyoshi rang out.

"I tripped and fell on Taro while we were sparring!"

"Taro! Are you alright!"

"Taro! Raise your hand if your okay!" Charlotte screamed while still on top of Taro's body.\

Taro's body laid motionless, but Charlotte felt a warm breath brush against her chest, as she realized where Taro's face was.

"How avout you do me a faver…" Taro said with a muffled voice as he then grabbed Charlotte's body and threw her off him. "And get your damned jugs out of my face!"

Everyone was shocked at what Taro had just said. But then they also realized the implications of what he just said.

"His face was in her breasts!?" one boy screamed.

"Shut up!" Kyoshi growled at the crowd as she helped both Taro and Charlotte up. "Are you both okay?"

"That doesn't matter at the moment, who won?" Taro asked.

"Well… When Charlotte hit you and knocked you over, neither of your swords really touched either of you. So we can call it a tie!"

Taro scowled at that as he glared at Charlotte, who was still dusting herself. Taro could feel the glare of many hormonal teenagers who would have killed to be in his place. Charlotte didn't even feel violated, this guy hated her guts with a passion and a few second in her "deep valley" wouldn't transform him. Taro then decided to head back to the classroom as it was almost time for lunch.

* * *

Taro absentmindedly ate alone on the bench. Osana called in sick that day, and Taro couldn't help but link it to that time when she was coughing up a strange white liquid. Taro couldn't sense Yan-chan anywhere, so he had to just go with eating alone. But he could already hear rumors fly of how "involved" he was with Charlotte.

He also couldn't help but think about the events that transpired the night before when he called Info-chan. He couldn't help but wonder what she could do. But someone calls his name.

"Taro!"

Taro turns to see Charlotte waving to him as he sighed and stayed seated. Charlotte approaches him and bends forward, asking.

"Why are you suddenly so wistful?"

"Nothing, just thinking about things."

"What things?" Charlotte asked curiously.

'None of your business things."

" _Est aliquid ad nostrum orbem?_ _"_ Charlotte asked seriously. (Is it something related to our world?)

" _Mitescere, suus 'non esse._ _"_ Taro replied. (Calm down, it's not that.)

"Then what is it?" Charlotte asked again.

"Can we really trust Info-chan?" Taro asked.

"She gave me what I need, so she should do the same for you."

"Hah!" Taro scoffed. "You're a knight, I'm a samurai. I just hope her kindness does not vary."

"Don't be so close-minded. The world doesn't think like that anymore."

"But–"

"Look, I'm telling you! I don't want some!" a distant voice cracked.

"Come on mister Bjorn! Just one bite!"

Taro and Charlotte turned to see Kokona trying to give food to Bjorn, who was insistently refusing Kokona's food.

"I need not payment for doing what was right!"

"But I need to thank you in some way!"

Taro laughed at that. The Warlord. The great leader of the Viking charge, was being put on the ropes by this timid, young school girl. He must have been really assimilated into this world. Taro then sees that Bjorn had noticed him and was making his way towards him. Charlotte stands up and follows Taro as they both went to meet Bjorn.

The whole plaza made way for the three people meeting. These people were those who had proven themselves to be great adversaries and intimidating. Their very aura had commanded respect from the students around. Taro and Charlotte stood tall as Bjorn looked down on them from his tall height.

"So, an Orochi and a Warden eh?" Bjorn said while folding his arms and smirking.

"Shhhh!" Taro frantically shouted as he whispered to Bjorn the basic taboo of talking about knights, samurai, and vikings in a world where they were obsolete.

" _Ita,_ _Myre de adventu novum_ _bellator."_ Bjorn muttered. (So, a new warrior from the Myre has arrived.)

" _Idem dici potest de te barbara._ _"_ Taro replied. (Same could be said about you barbarian.)

Non possum notio huic magnae inter tensio tibi duo. Vos scitis praecepta ludum." Charlotte warned while folding her arms. (I can sense the great tension between you two. You know the school rules.)

"We're not going to fight." Taro said, returning back to Japanese.

"We are just sizing each other up." Bjorn added in.

"God, can you men go one day without sizing up new competition?" Charlotte expressed exasperatedly while rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. All the students were packing up and returning to their classrooms. The burly security guard was going to make his leave, but not before telling Taro one last detail.

"I can see you've got some guts. We should hang out some time. If you ever need a hand, just visit the shed outside of school."

And with that, Bjorn walked off to continue, leaving a confused Taro and Charlotte wondering with sweat pouring down.

" _WHAT SHED IS HE TALKING ABOUT!?"_ was what they were thinking.

Taro and Charlotte decided to walk back to the classroom. But on their way, a strange sound rings and Charlotte brings out her phone, before gasping.

" _Deus meus!"_ Charlotte expressed. (My god!)

"What?"

"Warhammer's getting a new DLC! The Bretonnian Knights are finally going to be added!"

Taro could only stare blankly at Charlotte, who was suddenly shy and bashful at saying her hobby out loud.

"It's a hobby of mine… Don't think about it."

Taro shrugs and returns to class with Charlotte joining him, failing to observe the jealous eyes of a girl staring at him from across the hallway.

* * *

It was finally club time, but Taro had to use this time differently. He rushes out of the classroom with his bag, making sure that no one would even see where he was going. He quickly sprints into the male's locker room and opens his bag to check his belongings.

He had his Orochi mask inside the bag, not the whole armor, just his mask. Info-chan had suggested that he bring other stuff as well if he wanted to get what he wanted from her. Taro could only bring his katana and spare bombs that were left in his pockets anyway.

* * *

 **The night before…**

" _ **Listen up, if you want to catch those Karejji delinquents and also find the bastard behind your friend's phone call. I'll need you to do something. Two things to be specific."**_

"Why? Why do you need so many favors from me?" Taro asked in disbelief.

" _ **Well actually, these favors I'm asking are for your sake! If these tasks aren't completed, then I won't be able to provide what you need!"**_

So Taro had to work for this strange woman, but she was his chance at getting back at so many people.

"Okay, what must be done?"

" _ **You will be meeting an associate of mine standing on the Buraza Train Station smoking area. She will be wearing a school girl uniform but don't underestimate her."**_

"And what else?

" _ **You will both take a train bound to Shisuta at 6:00 pm. From there you must complete two very important tasks. One will be breaking into the Karejji High School database and getting the student data. The next one will be breaking into the central server of Shisuta. The rest of the details will be provided by my assistant."**_

"So what should I prepare?"

" _ **Just the essentials. My associate will prepare your stealth clothes, but you should have smoke bombs and weapons with you just in case."**_

"Understood. I will not fail."

" _ **For both our sakes, let's hope not."**_

* * *

Taro checked his cellphone, it was almost 6pm as he then snuck out of the school and ran in the general direction of the subway. He made sure that absolutely no one saw him as he snuck onto the train station. He then sniffed the air, looking for the scent of smoke. He follows the stench to a lounge where he saw only one girl in school uniform. He squinted his eyes a bit before gasping and screaming internally.

" _ **YAN-CHAN IS THE ASSOCIATE!?"**_

* * *

 **Omake - Interview with Charlotte Weber**

 _ **BBC INTERVIEW TONIGHT**_

 **Hello everyone, I am John Andrew Hagensen of the BBC World News and I am here with the daughter of world-famous engineer and entrepreneur Heinz Weber, Charlotte Weber.**

Hello everyone!

 **So Miss Charlotte, can you recall what kind of person you were before the incident?**

Forgive me but the details are still a bit fuzzy after the amnesia. I do believe that I was a frequent spender and party-goers. Strangely enough, my father approved of all of them, and I never was able to have a properly go through school since he kept bribing them to let me graduate. I was your run-of-the-mill spoiled teenage girl.

 **That's quite bold of you to admit, what made you drop this sort of lifestyle?**

I honestly don't know. The moment I woke up in that hospital, I felt... different. I didn't feel as excited to start spending money and partying. I felt that what I was doing was no longer worthwhile, so I decided to make a change for myself.

 **In what way?**

I deleted and unfriended all the people I knew and I bet they're still bitching about it right now. I had realized that I was in a group of mindless wenches and pleasure driven hedonists and quickly wanted to leave. I decided to return to take high school seriously and returned with full determination.

 **So in your spare time, what do you do now?**

Oh! I am a practitioner of HEMA and I also practice humanitarian work with the Teutonic Order.

 **That does beg another question, why did you convert to Catholicism since your father was an atheist?**

It was something I suppressed for a long time and I often denied to myself, but after the incident I had to take a stand for what I believed in. I joined the Teutonic Order because they were also a former knight organization and I am honestly a sucker for knights.

 **So knights are a main area of interest for you now?**

Samurai and vikings too. I've began to engage myself in many hobbies to finally feel fulfilled from what I do. I feel like I'm doing something with my life.

 **Were you truly responsible for the breaking of ties between Weber Innovations and Saikou Corp?**

Yes. I convinced my father to not to deal with the Japanese company.

 **Why so?**

Because Saikou Corp has made shady dealings and violates many laws with their unethical experiments. If they act like they have something to hide, then they cannot be trusted.

 **Could that be the same reason your father rejected other company offers?**

Many shady businessmen wanted a partnership with Weber Tech, but I insisted that we should not be so kind to them with their dubious background.

 **So will you do anything else?**

I think I've reached a homeostasis in radical change, I will be keeping things stagnant for now, but I want to let everyone know that am not the same spoiled slut of before. I have changed and I will make my difference.

 **Okay, so one last question, are the rumors true that you have heavily engaged in the Warhammer games under the guise of username IronLegion27?**

Heeheehee, you got me there! I have become a heavy Warhammer Fantasy player and I have visited the conventions many times! I have quite a few posters in my room, mostly Bretonnian Knights and Empire ones. And I am also a frequent follower of the new DLC announcements for the game, so i am quite informed on the subject.

 **So you are the one who stirred massive controversy in the gaming community of being the player who defeated the former undefeated champion of Total War, PixieFishtheRambler?**

It was just a one time thing, maybe I got lucky. But I'm always up for another rematch! What do you say to that Pixie? I hope you're watching!

 **Okay, thank you for your time Miss Weber and I wish you a good day.**

Likewise, John. I hope the same.

* * *

 **Done. Sorry if it felt short and rushed.**


	6. Chapter 5

**I had to do a LOT of research for Ayano's behavior. I've taken her reactions from multiple mental diseases and illnesses such as psychopathy, BPD and many more.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Yandere Sim, I don't own For Honor.**

* * *

"Yan-chan, you're going to be the one to help me?"

Ayano averted her gaze in shyness, unable to respond properly. They stare awkwardly for awhile, before the arrival of the train breaks the awkward silence. Ayano grabs her bag and says quietly.

"Come on, we have a job to do."

Taro had to praise Ayano's professionalism, though he had to run after her to get in the train as well. They both sat down in the nearly empty car, with Taro and Ayano sitting across each other.

"So what's the plan?" Taro asked.

"We're going to break into Karejji High School first, we will go inside and search for the servers." Ayano said while holding up a small item. "We're going to insert this into the servers, and give Info-chan an opening to hack into the system."

Though Ayano looked serious and professional, she was trying her hardest not to embarrass herself in front of her senpai. She was able to summon the willpower not to look so dumb or flustered in front of him. But his gaze of awe at the object was making it very hard to control herself.

"Hack?" Taro questioned.

"It's a technical term, meaning Info-chan will access the data from her place. We have to give her about five minutes for her to finish."

"And what do we do after that?" Taro asked.

"Next task will be breaking into the Shisuta central server, a proxy server of to the main database of the Kantō district. Once Info-chan has access to that data, we will have access to the identities and users of all cellphone numbers and IP addresses."

"Where is that?"

"It's next to the police station, so if we trip any alarms. we'll have to make it quick."

"Okay then." Taro agreed with a nod, before hearing the ding of the train, indicating their arrival. "There's our stop."

Taro and Ayano went out the train and exited the station quickly. They looked through the dark streets to see them empty. They quickly run towards the large building that was clearly the Karejji School Building. Taro and Ayano hid behind the school entrance in the shrubbery and began changing into their stealth clothes. Ayano couldn't help but stare at Taro's shirtless body, blushing at how well-toned his body was. But the moment passes and Taro and Ayano finish putting on their stealth clothes and Taro puts on his mask, with Ayano wearing her own. Taro throws a bag over his shoulder and gets ready. They peek into the entrance, with Ayano in front, she whispers to Taro.

" _Be quiet and follow my lead."_ Ayano whispered before jumping out and running stealthily into the school entrance.

Taro followed suit and stealthily ran from bush to tree, quietly sneaking into the entrance of the school. From there, Ayano ran up the stairs, and Taro takes an alternate route and climbs through the window. Ayano then goes up the stairs again, with Taro following her until they reached the third floor. From there, Ayano skimmed through the rooms before she found a certain room and checked it. Locked. Ayano brings out a lock pick to try and unlock the door. Taro waits patiently before hearing the click of the unlock. Ayano gestures to Taro to follow her inside and Taro enters the room with her.

"You seem to know this place very well." Taro commented, while peeking out the door to see if anyone was there.

"Of course, this was my old school." Ayano said screwing open a hatch.

"Why did you leave?" Taro asked.

"… Too many memories with this place." Ayano curtly replied. "I don't want to talk about it."

Ayano then opened a metal box and began to crawl inside. Due to the conversation, Taro felt another memory strike him, as he recalled another incident with the Shinobi Ayano.

* * *

" _Why did you leave your village?" Taro asked while sneaking with Ayano through the castle._

"… _I didn't like it there, I've had quite a lot of suitors there." Ayano said while climbing through a window and with Taro following._

" _Isn't that a good thing? From what I've heard, your suitors were very handsome and powerful men who were genuinely in love you."_

" _They always said 'I've never felt this way before' but don't even regard my feelings in the matter. No matter how much I pushed them away, it only drew them closer. They fail to understand that I couldn't return their love."_

 _The Shinobi and Orochi then jumped from a castle wall to the roof. Taro and Ayano safely got down and his behind the corner._

" _So you can't love?"_

" _I didn't say that I can't love. I can't just fall for someone I simply do not love."_

" _But those men were handsome, powerful and talented, what makes them so unattractive?"_

" _I'm a different kind of woman, I don't get attracted to superficial traits like looks or power, I simply fall for someone who piques my interest."_

" _Well how interesting does someone have to be?"_

" _Honestly, it's quite fascinating how one person fails to recognize how interesting he is." Ayano said while staring at Taro._

" _Hmm?" Taro wondered. "Why are you staring at me? Is there something wrong?"_

" _Nothing." Ayano said while turning away with red cheeks. "Let's continue with the mission."_

* * *

Taro quickly returns to reality and approaches Ayano, who was still deep inside the hatch.

"So, how's the progress?"

"I've connected the device into the main server, and five minutes have passed. I'll grab the device now."

Taro heard a faint click from the machine.

"Okay, make way. I'll be getting out now." Ayano said while wriggling a bit.

"You need some help?" Taro asked.

"No, I'm good." Ayano said, before wiggling a little more vigorously.

A bead of sweat dripped down the back of Taro's head, as he watched Ayano try and free herself. He shrugs and grabs her legs, causing Ayano to squeal. Taro pulls out Ayano, but she violently escapes and begins to breathe heavily. Taro was confused at her frantic behavior as he stared at Ayano, who was very flustered by what just happened.

Ayano herself was finding it harder and harder to control herself around her senpai. She was able to act normally since they kept their distance. But now that Taro had touched her, his touch felt so glorious, so arousing. Ayano just wanted to hug Taro and make him hers forever and ever. She would even consider "doing it" with him right there if she could. But she knew any wrong move could mean that he reject her. She began to tremble in arousal as she struggled to compose herself.

But the sound of the radio interrupts the moment, as Ayano then picked up the walkie-talkie.

"What is it Info-chan?"

" _ **Good job on the break-in, I got everything I needed from the Karejji database. You should get out of there right now. Looks like some residents saw you sneak into the school and reported suspicious behavior."**_

Taro could hear the talk and cursed to himself. Looks like they were found out. They had to escape. And right on cue, the sirens rang as they heard the sound of men rushing from their cars. Ayano puts down her walkie-talkie. They both nodded. Ayano and Taro quickly packed their items and ran out. They quickly ran for the stairs, but the flashlights of the police made them go back up, but they see flashlights coming from the upper floor. Taro and Ayano run into the room as they frantically started to search for a way out. Taro opens the window and tells Ayano.

"Come on!"

"What are you doing?"

"There's no other way!' Taro said while climbing out the window.

"If you say so." Ayano said while following.

"No, no, no!"

"What?"

"It's too unsafe for you too climb down without help!"

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Ayano asked.

* * *

Ayano was in complete ecstasy while holding on to her senpai. She was so happy to hold him while they climbed down carefully. Just holding him felt so good already. Taro paid no heed to her reaction as he climbed down carefully. Taro finally gets down and Ayano hesitantly gets off him. They immediately run for the fence and jump over, before resting. Taro leans on the wall, panting from that disturbingly close escape. He then turns to Ayano, who was just as tired.

"So, where is the next destination?"

"Not far from here, and we should hurry. The police will congregate to the school area, so we should break in while they're still distracted." Ayano said as she pointed to the obviously tall building.

"Way ahead of you." Taro said while climbing the roof. "I'll get there faster by roof."

"Okay, we'll meet by the entrance."

Taro and Ayano split up. With Taro's light feet, he jumps from roof to roof, still remembering his Orochi training. He looks around for anything suspicious. He then drops from the roof and runs towards the building, with Ayano meeting him there.

"So what's the plan?"

"According to Info-chan, central servers are located on the third floor and are guarded by a high security alarm system. The only way to bypass the alarm system is to shut down the building power and allow the emergency generators to run the rest."

"So how do we do that?" Taro asked.

"We will have to cut the power manually through the building's transformer. We will have a good minute or two to run to the server room before the power comes back online."

"Okay, so what will I do?"

"You will be the one to destroy the transformer." Ayano said while opening the hatch to the sewers. "I will be waiting here until the power comes off to sneak inside to insert the hard drive. You can wait outside for me since you don't really have to follow me."

"Got it." Taro nodded while jumping down the hatch.

Taro reached the bottom of the ladder, into the smelly sewers. He sees the signs pointing to the transformer. Taro unpacks a nail bomb from his pack.

"This should sabotage the device without attracting any attention."

Taro breaks open the lock to the machine with his katana, he then implants the bomb inside. He gets to cover and the transformer breaks. He sees the lights go out and turns on his flashlight. He goes back to inspect the damage. He sees the broken wires and damaged machinery.

" _Okay, so that's the first task finished, let's hope Yan-chan gets in safely."_

Taro felt a slight change in the air. Something was wrong and his senses were getting bad signs from the environment around him. He turns behind and throws a kunai to the dark behind him. And he hear's a scream of pain. Taro pointed his flashlight to the threat, and there was the adversary. The man had pale skin, smooth, combed black hair and thin red eyes. He wore a white shirt and bright red tie with a bright red-lined black blazer worn over, with black slacks and brown shoes. . He was holding a device with some sort of trigger. Taro noticed that it looked like a crossbow and realized that he shouldn't let this man pull the trigger. Taro runs towards the man, who points the gun at him, Taro drop kicks the man before he could even shoot, falling into the sewer water in the process. Taro quickly takes the gun and runs.

" _Damn it!"_ Taro cursed, while frantically gathering his belongings. _"We've been compromised!"_

Taro quickly exited the sewer and closed the hatch. He notices that the building power was still down.

" _I have to go get Yan-chan, she'll be in great danger if we don't make our escape!"_

* * *

Ayano carefully inserts the device and crawls out of the machine. She freezes as she feels a muzzle stick against her head, as she hesitantly turns her head to see a woman holding a gun to her head.

"Stand up." The girl commanded. "And put your hands where I can see them."

Ayano made the wise move of standing up with her arms raised, not making any other moves.

"Good, now turn around."

Ayano turns around and saw the full view of the woman. She had pale skin, rounded straight black hair and thin red eyes. She wore a school uniform, a high collared white blouse worn under a red-lined black blazer and bright red bow, accompanied with a dark grey skirt, brown skirts and black gloves.

"Now tell me, why are you here?"

"That's none of your business."

"Well it is now." The girl said while slapping Ayano, causing her to fall back down. "But it won't matter anyway, the contract doesn't require any info gathering. Just another kill."

" _Kill?"_

"But you know Miss Aishi, I couldn't imagine how your parents will feel when they come back from the US to see you missing!"

"How do you know that?"

"I know a lot of things Miss Aishi. I knew that you were going to try and pull this stunt, and I knew I had a good opportunity."

"Good opportunity?"

"To kill you of course!"

"Why?"

"There are many different reasons why I could be doing this. Money? Revenge? Fame? But I'm beyond those superficial reasons. I exist for the sole purpose of being your opposite, the one who makes your life miserable. I go by many names but you can call me Nemesis." Nemesis said while squeezing the trigger. "Because that's the last name you'll ever hear."

Ayano closed her eyes and prepared for Nemesis to shoot, but a throwing sound emerged from the dark. A kunai was thrown at Nemesis' hand, causing her to drop her gun. The building lights return, revealing Taro at the doorway, holding his katana and a few throwing knives.

"She isn't dying tonight." Taro said while lunging at Nemesis.

Nemesis tries to draw her gun, but Taro kicks it out of her hand, causing it to fly out the window. Taro tries to point the gun he obtained at Nemesis, but Nemesis grabs his hand forces him to empty the cartridge. Nemesis then proceeded to throw the cartridge out the window. Nemesis and Taro get into fighting stance as they circled each other, with Taro making sure Ayano was behind him.

"Taro Yamada, the prodigal son. I've gotten word of your return."

"None of your business. Now leave."

"Who died and made you boss?" Nemesis said while drawing her switchblade. "This fight hasn't even started."

"And what makes you believe that you stand a chance with that small blade?" Taro said while drawing his katana.

"Well for one, I'm not one for fighting fair."

Taro raises his katana and blocks a strike coming from behind. He then elbows the one behind him and tries to swipe at him, but he ducks and tackles Taro. Taro throws his unknown assailant off him and quickly gets into stance. The unknown assailant is revealed to be the man from the sewer.

"You took too long brother." Nemesis said with disapproval.

"I got careless." The man said while drawing out an umbrella. "This man shall know the mistake of opposing Orion."

Orion then drew a sword from his umbrella, while Nemesis drew her baton and dual-wielded it with her switchblade. Taro breathed in and out to enter his Orochi state of mind. He went into stance and made the gesture for his two opponents to come at him. The two assassins rushed forward and prepared to strike.

Taro ducks under the strike of Orion and tries to stab him, but Nemesis blocks the strike with her baton and saves her brother. She tries to stab Taro but Taro grabs her hand and kicks her back. He then sidesteps to dodge a stab from Orion. He then tries to strike Orion's back, but suddenly gets stunned by a punch from Nemesis. Nemesis then pinned Taro against a wall while licking her lips.

"You're very interesting… I'll have to keep you in check." Nemesis said before kissing Taro passionately in the lips. "I've marked you now."

Seeing her senpai being kissed so passionately caused something in Ayano to snap. Ayano drew her signature kitchen knife and lunged at Nemesis. Nemesis gets taken by surprise as Ayano swipes at her. Orion goes into the fray to try and help Nemesis but Taro intervenes and blocks his sword.

"Where did you get your training? Are you another assassin?" Orion questioned while wrestling with Taro.

"That is none of your business, and what sort of assassin attacks a young girl?"

"That is also none of your business." Orion replied coldly. "And if we can't kill her, we might as well stall."

Taro then kicked Orion back, before paling at his words.

" _ **Ayano, do you read me? Police have been alerted to the break-in! The police are heading to you right now!"**_

With his sharp hearing, he hears the sirens gather outside. They were stalling for the police to arrive. He then grabs his bag and runs to Ayano, who was keeping Nemesis on the ropes. He kicks back Nemesis and grabs Ayano.

"Come on, we have to go."

"Go where?" Orion asked smugly. "They're already going up the building! There's no hope for escaping!"

Orion then goes to Nemesis and helps her up.

"Let's go, we don't want to get caught."

"Tch."

They then run off into the hallway, and disappeared. Though Taro had half the mind to go after them and finish what they started, there were more important matters to attend to. Taro packs his belongings and pulls on Ayano.

"We have to go! The police will catch us!"

"We can't leave. The device is still stuck to the machine and if the police get it, then we'll be found out anyway!"

"Then disconnect it!" Taro replied while peeking at the stairs, hearing the police get closer.

"I'll take too long, we're done for!"

Taro took a moment before bringing out another bomb.

"Not if we destroy the evidence."

"You're not—"

"Yes I am." Taro said while lighting his flare. "This is going to get messy Yan-chan!"

Taro then grabbed Ayano as he lit and threw the bomb at the computer. Taro made his way to the window. The bomb explodes just as Taro jumps out, with Ayano in his arms. They both fell from three stories into the bushes. Miraculously, Ayano made it out okay. She releases herself from Taro's embrace and looks at him. Taro had been badly cut and wounded by the bushes and was barely hanging on to life. He began vomiting out blood, his panicked breathing being replaced by gurgles. Ayano frantically tries to find a way to save him, but two figures emerge from the dark, as Ayano draws her knife, feeling threatened by their presence.

"Calm down. we're not here to hurt you. If you want to save Taro, then you should cooperate."

Ayano hesitantly puts down her knife, and the figures reveal themselves to be Charlotte and Bjorn. Charlotte takes out her phone while Bjorn picks up Taro's body. Ayano follows the two to a black van. Bjorn places Taro at the back of van, on a cushion. Charlotte sat at the front seat, while both Bjorn and Ayano sat beside Taro's bed. Charlotte faces the driver and said.

"Bring us back to the mansion please."

The van gets moving as they quickly left the scene. As the van moved through the dark streets, Charlotte decided to break the silence.

"So how was that info heist?"

Ayano stayed silent, though she was clearly intrigued at what Charlotte knew about her and Taro's mission.

"Don't worry, Info-chan told Bjorn and I everything. She wanted us to hang close should anything go south. And considering the condition of Taro right now, it's gone even further south than I expected."

"We were compromised by two assassins, so we had to make our escape quickly."

"Well you're lucky that we came along. Any longer and Taro would have needed more than what we could offer."

"But the hospital is that way." Ayano pointed out.

"We're not going to the hospital."

The van stopped outside a giant gate, with Charlotte rolling down her window. There was a speaker next to the gate and it spoke out.

"Welcome to the Weber Residence, how may I help you?"

"It's me, Charlotte. Let us in."

"Right away madam!"

The gate opens revealing a large garden with decorated with well-trimmed bushes. There were many different plants of many different kinds. The house in front of them only took a small portion of the vast property that Charlotte owned. Charlotte and Bjorn quickly exited the van and carried Taro on a stretcher into the house with Ayano following them.. Charlotte and Bjorn ran into a special room where there was a bed set and there were medical supplies on the side. One of the maids gasped at the sight as Charlotte then told her.

"Get the doctor here now, he needs help."

Bjorn and Ayano looked around surprised at how rich Charlotte was.

"You have your own private doctor?"

"My father hired a private physician to prevent dependency on local healthcare in case of an emergency."

The doctor arrived and tended to Taro, before turning to Ayano and Bjorn.

"I suggest you go somewhere else, it will take some time for me to seal his wounds."

"I'll take them to my room." Charlotte said with a nod.

Charlotte then gestured for Bjorn and Ayano to follow her up the stairs. Ayano took a moment to look at the interior of the mansion. The aesthetics were clearly European and the decorations were visibly expensive. The furniture looked so comfortable and the house was very homely. This girl certainly has it good with all she had. Ayano could certainly say that Charlotte was a threat and could easily take her senpai. But her wealth and fame would certainly complicate things a whole lot.

Charlotte opens the door and gestures for the two to come inside, and Ayano was shocked by the difference of her room and the outside. Charlotte had multiple posters on her walls of different characters. There was a workbench with tools and materials. There was a table that had a computer on top, with a screensaver. And lastly, there was an armor stand, with knightly armor fitted onto the stand.

Ayano wasn't expecting a hobby like this for a girl of Charlotte's stature. Charlotte then sits on the sofa, with Bjorn and Ayano doing the same, sitting across her.

"Do you want any sort of drink?" Charlotte asked.

"Green tea for me please." Ayano replied politely.

"Buttermilk, but I'm sure ya don't have it!"

Charlotte then pressed a button on the table.

"Frederick, bring us a kettle of your finest tea and also a mug of your finest buttermilk."

Charlotte then leaned back, and awkward silence began to loom over the group. Ayano then looked at the posters on the wall. Charlotte seemed to have noticed this, as she then said.

"Beautiful ain't it? Warhammer is quite the tale!"

"I wasn't aware you liked fantasy." Bjorn added.

"I was always fascinated by myths and legends, but Warhammer was really something else. The lore, the factions, the combat, it's so engaging!"

"I can tell." Bjorn said with a deadpan as he looked at all the merchandise.

"So how do you and Taro know each other?" Ayano asked.

"Well, let's just say that Taro couldn't forget those who've made a big impact on his life." Charlotte replied allusively.

"What sort of big impact did you cause in Taro's life?" Ayano asked, clearly intrigued by Charlotte's answer.

"Well as much as I'd love to tell you, Taro and I would hate to reveal the truth about the both of us."

" _So they were in a relationship."_ Ayano thought with grit teeth. _"She's definitely a threat, I can't let her take him away,"_

"Yeah, but the kid should let bygones be bygones." Bjorn commented while folding his arms.

"Yeah, how long has it been since your 'incident'?" Charlotte asked.

"About six years ago, I've gotten well-acquainted with my new life so far, how about you?"

"Good, good. It's been three years since my 'incident', hopefully Taro gets through his."

"What is this incident you both are talking about?" Ayano asked curiously.

"Incident is our code word for our life-changing accidents. Bjorn here nearly died of drug overdose in Iceland, while I nearly died from a sinking ship along the coast of Italy. Taro most likely suffered from an accident before showing up here in town."

" _She's knows a lot about him. Too much… I'll have to eliminate her swiftly."_

"Wait…" Bjorn said while staring at a poster of a man wearing fur. "That guy seems familiar."

"Who? Him?" Charlotte asked while glancing at the poster. "Oh that's Wulfrik the Wanderer, chief of the Norscans!"

"Hmmm…"

"They were inspired by Vikings."

"Ah him! I remember him now, I was at a convention when I saw him!"

"You were at a convention?"

"Well, I WAS paid to cosplay as him promote the upcoming downloadable content for the game." Bjorn explained. "Strangely enough, that was only last week."

"What!? The Norscans are a DLC!? How did I not know this?"

"You have to preorder Warhammer 2 I believe."

"So how was that convention for you?" Charlotte asked curiously.

"Not much worth seeing." Bjorn grumbled. "They didn't even pay me the money they promised. Just a stupid sword and hammer replica from the game."

There was a long pause as Charlotte leaned forward with a face of absolute seriousness.

"What were those weapons?"

"Hammer of Sigmar and the Sword of Couronne. They said it costs good money but it's only good as paperweight."

"And where is said hammer and sword?"

"At my place right now, I just finished unpacking so I've yet to find good space for it."

"I'll buy that hammer and sword off of you for any price." Charlotte said without hesitation.

Bjorn blinked in surprise at how straightforward Charlotte was. He didn't even get to say how he was able to make it fit in his home very nicely.

"Whoah wait, let's not get hasty here. I happen to like them as decorations."

Bjorn suddenly gets pulled by Charlotte as she grabbed him by the collar.

"Listen here you barbarian snow-lover, I've been spending good money and time to try and get those limited edition weapons and I will not waste this opportunity, so name your price!"

For the first time, Bjorn actually felt intimidated on how strong Charlotte felt for her Warhammer merchandise, she really was into it after all.

"Y-You really want those weapons huh?"

Charlotte's silent glare said it all. But the moment was interrupted by the doors opening, revealing the servants with drinks in their hands.

"We're here with your drinks madam!"

They see Charlotte grabbing Bjorn, while Ayano watched the scene with much curiosity.

"Should we come back later…?"

* * *

Taro could feel himself return to consciousness as he saw the doctor look at him directly.

"He's conscious."

Taro tried to get up, but he felt the doctor hold him down as the doctor said.

"Try to rest a bit."

"What happened?" Taro asked.

"Charlotte brought you here while you were wounded. You were lucky that she was there to save you."

Taro inwardly scowled, he hated being in someone's debt, especially if it's towards someone as insufferable as Charlotte. He lies back down a bit, before the doctor then said.

"We received a call that was meant for, I suggest you return the call and explain the situation." The doctor said while handing Taro the phone.

"Thank you." Taro said before putting the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

" _ **Good work Taro, You gave me access to everything I need."**_

Taro froze at the sound of Info-chan's voice.

"So will it be possible to track down the phone call?"

" _ **Yup, and after the stunt you pulled tonight, I owe you buckets worth of favors. I have to applaud your creativity in that pressuring situation."**_

"Thank you for the compliments, but are my current requests possible now?"

"' _ **With what you've accomplished, I'll be happy to do it any day of the week. Just give me a call and I'll give you what you need."**_

"Okay, bye."

" _ **See ya!"**_

Taro closed the phone and looked around the room as he realized that he was in Charlotte's house. He decided to nap a little more, before waking up again. He stood up and went to the nearby servant.

"How long have I been out?" Taro asked.

"It's already midnight Sir Yamada. Charlotte had given me instructions to drive you home."

Taro couldn't help but agree to that as he followed the servant to the car. The rest of the night was a big blur to him. He remembered sneaking inside safely, jumping to bed and sleeping. And morning was no different. Taro wakes up and gets into his uniform and goes downstairs, where he sees his grandfather preparing his food.

"Taro, why did you come home late last night?"

"Sorry oji-san, I had to complete an assignment at a friend's house." Taro lied.

Taro then ate his breakfast, and took his bag while waving his grandad goodbye. He sees Osana wasn't waiting for him, she was probably absent again. Taro walked past the bakery, not even waving to Amai, who was waving at him. Taro entered the school and saw Charlotte leaning by the gate.

"You gave us quite the scare last night."

"Oh boohoo, I don't owe you anything."

"Never said you did." Charlotte smirked. "Come on."

Taro grumbled as he followed Charlotte to the school building entrance. But Taro's eyes widened as he saw a tub filled with barbels sit on top of the door. He rushed to Charlotte's rescue just as the barbels fell on her. Though he couldn't see if she was hit or not, he was able to push her out of the way. Though his body suffered the brunt of the falling barbels with all his bruises, he looked at Charlotte's unconscious body and bleeding head as he realized that she needed help. He called for help, asking people to call for an ambulance. As soon as the ambulance arrived, Taro helped carry Charlotte to the vehicle as he rode with them to the hospital. Taro stood outside the hospital room, twiddling his thumbs as he saw Bjorn and Charlotte's father arrive. He asked.

"Is it true?"

Taro nodded sadly as he opened the door for Heinz and entered to see Charlotte's head wrapped in a bandage. The doctor stood by as Charlotte's father approached her.

"How is she doc?"

"She's in stable condition, but the concussion to her head might cause some memory loss…" The doctor said sadly.

And right on cue, Charlotte's body began to stir, causing everyone to glance at her in anticipation. She opened her eyes and looked at Heinz.

"F-Father?"

"Oh thank god!" Heinz sobbed while embracing his daughter. "Thank God you're okay!"

"What happened…?" Charlotte asked in a broken voice.

"You suffered a concussion that nearly broke your cranium. If it weren't for the quick response, it would have been much worse."

Charlotte then looked at Bjorn and said.

"Nice to see you Bjorn."

"Hey, good thing that blow to the head didn't do too much to ya!"

"I'm too tough to just roll over and die, you know that!" Charlotte quipped back.

"Well, it's good to know that I've returned the debt I owe you." Taro added in.

Charlotte's reaction wasn't that of smugness or amusement, it was a face of confusion.

"Do I know you?" Charlotte asked.

Those four words sent Taro and Bjorn into a shock, as they realized that the memory loss did happen after all.

"This was the man who saved you! He was the one who pushed you away from suffering the full damage!" The doctor praised. "Just look at all the bruises on his arm!"

"Thank you so much!" Heinz said with gratitude as he shook Taro's hands.

Taro was sheepish in showing the bruised body to Charlotte, who was already in awe.

"He was also the one who called an ambulance and carried you to the emergency room!"

Charlotte began to blush as her gaze averted away from Taro, as if she were talking to her high school crush. Her expression was shy and coy, like she was a maiden trying to lure her favorite lad to her clutches.

"Why would you go to such great lengths to save me?"

"Because I was doing my responsibility as a good person," Taro said while thinking. _"Come on Charlotte, you remember this!"_

"Oh!" Charlotte said while realizing. "I forgot to introduce myself, I am Charlotte Weber and I—"

"I know, we've met." Taro said exasperatedly. "It's kind of unavoidable for us not to talk to each other."

"Well Taro… I'm sorry if I don't remember you." Charlotte said sheepishly, her cheeks reddening in the process.

"It's okay—"

"So I would like to make it up to you by hanging out with you more!" Charlotte said with glee. "I want to know you more because of what you've done for me! So how about we go out for some food tomorrow?"

" _Did she just ask me out on a DATE!?"_ Taro wondered out loud.

Everyone's jaw hit the floor, but Taro was the one who suffered the greatest. Friendly talk, blushing face, flustered expression. This Charlotte wasn't the same Charlotte of before. The memory loss is worse than Taro thought. Taro looked at Charlotte's blushing face as he realized that it got a whole lot worse.

Charlotte officially has a crush on him.

* * *

 **CHARLOTTE HAS LOST HER MEMORIES OF TARO! WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR TARO AND HOW WILL HE ADAPT TO THIS CHANGE!?**

 **So hey guys, here's that update for Orochi-senpai that you wanted so badly! And now you got it, so hurray!**

 **Get yourselves ready for the Moe Charlotte Arc. How will this whole debacle end for Taro? Will Charlotte forever be the school girl who fell for him, or will Taro get her memories back? More importantly, is there anyone else in the world like Taro, and will they appear soon?**


	7. Omake: The Emotionless Husk

**Inspired by Yandere Dev's video, "Yandere-chan's Childhood"**

* * *

 ** _When I was young, I remembered... servants, friends, all around me. It was always happy, lively, vigorous. My whole young life was filled with nothing but energy. It was if the sun never set on my life._**

A young Taro was smiling, laughing and playing with his friends. He was walking around and everyone smiled at him with delight.

 ** _Of course, though my life was very bright and jolly, there were some who tried to burst that bubble of mine. They weren't bad people but the things they said were so negative that I didn't like it. Namely, one of those people was my mother, who would always chastise harshly to me when I was careless_**

 ** _"I was once like you you know, going about being happy-go-lucky with no care in the world. But there will be times of emptiness, of futility, of complete hollowness. You will feel this someday and happiness will never experienced the same way again."_**

 ** _My father was vehemently opposed to that ideology. He wanted me to be the happiest I could be, saying that the world wouldn't be so cruel to a boy as sweet as me._**

The child Taro began to do swordplay with his father, who was enjoying it so much that they both started laughing.

 ** _But deep down, he knew it was a lie. And with the knights and vikings encroaching on our borders, it was becoming much harder to keep up that lie._**

Taro tried to peek at the ongoing battle while his father and mother shielded him while fleeing from their castle.

 ** _Needless to say, that feeling my mother had warned me about never came. Ironically, it never came either when I became an Orochi recruit. I was still pretty darn happy, and I had plenty of friends to keep up the liveliness._**

Taro was having plenty of fun with his friends, the other Orochi recruits. He was surrounded by friends and companions, all brightening up the session.

 ** _Until I met her... A Shinobi, by the name of Ayano Aishi. She was... emotionless, unfeeling. Everything my mother had told me about. She was a strange one and I couldn't help but get interested in her. So I decided to befriend her and learn more about the feeling of emptiness my mother had warned me so many times about._**

Taro walked up to the Shinobi Ayano and struck up a conversation. Taro then tried to liven up the poker-faced Ayano.

 ** _We spent time together and we enjoyed each other a lot. It was one of the greatest friendships I've ever had, and I couldn't have gone through the Faction War without her and my family. But... Ayano was never happy. And when she was gone, I saw the same emotionless expression of before. It felt like I made no impact on her._**

Taro stood alone in the rainy Myre, staring at the swamp that began to deform from the heavy erosion.

 ** _But that's when I felt it, that feeling of emptiness that my mother said. I had walked through crowds of people and felt lonely. The hollowness of my emotion came into fruition, and there was no going back. I was unfulfilled because I knew for a fact that there was one person in my life who didn't feel happy. And that felt horrible, this emptiness was something that no person should feel. I could FEEL Ayano's pain as I realize how much I have failed her._**

Taro gets into a intense duel with a Raider, before being hide at the side, and collapsing from the intense damage.

 ** _But maybe the next life will be a little more different. Maybe I'll be able to deliver the happiness she was meant to feel. Maybe I will be able to fill the void in her that kept her so hollow._**

* * *

Taro closed the piece of paper as he sighed while staring out the window of his classroom. His memories of the old world were still fresh in his mind, but he still had problems bridging gaps between his broken memories. But one mistake he remembered so well was that he could never bring the Shinobi Ayano to true happiness. He made no effort to make her smile, to try and brighten her day. Taro never wanted his hollowness to return and swore it upon himself to save Ayano from becoming an emotionless husk.

Taro was having these complex thoughts whiles taring outside the class window.

"What are you looking at Taro?" Charlotte asked while giving him a bento. "Here's some food I made you!"

 _"But first, I will have to deal with a meddlesome amnesiac."_ Taro thought to himself.

Taro then looked at Ayano's face again while she was exercising.

"Ayano, in your previous life, you were also an emotionless husk drifting without purpose. But listen to me. Hang on. Because I won't be making the same mistake again. You will be able to feel soon, and you won't be broken anymore."

* * *

 **So what do you think? Does it reveal too much of Taro's past, or does it leave enough to be explained later on?**


	8. Chapter 6: Charlotte Pt 1

**Update! Thanks for your support!**

 **I don't own any franchise.**

* * *

Bjorn stood outside Taro's house and rang the doorbell. Now that he had actually socialized with the man, maybe going to school would be a bit less lonely now that he had someone to talk. Granted, he was a former enemy, but hey, let bygones be bygones. Of course, Taro needed a little more time before he could accept Bjorn and Charlotte. An old man comes out and asks.

"Who are you?" The old man asked curiously.

"I am a friend of Taro, just wanted to check on him." Bjorn replied calmly.

"You? You seem too foreign and adult to be his classmate." The old man said while sizing up Bjorn.

"That's because I'm the security." Bjorn said while folding his muscular arms.

"Oh? Okay, I'll ask him to come out." The old man replied before coming back inside.

Bjorn waited idly, before seeing the door open, with Taro wearing a... medical mask? It was strange to say the least, but then again, he just underwent surgery two nights ago. Bjorn opened the gate for Taro, who seemed too tired to even speak.

"What's with the mask?"

"After Charlotte fell for me, I couldn't sleep... So I got sick." Taro said before coughing. "Not with those texts she sent me either."

"Well, at least you know how to use a cellphone. What did she send?"

Taro flipped open his phone and Bjorn took a peek at the text.

 **Hey Taro! I hope we go somewhere nice tomorrow! I'm paying, so anywhere's fine** **︎ ︎ ︎**

 **Hey Taro~ Just wanted to ask which dress looked better on me! ;3**

 **What food do you like anyway?**

Bjorn's face darkened at all the messages, even he was disturbed by how amorous Charlotte was getting. He sees Taro's face darken at the messages, as this situation was entirely new to him. But Bjorn looked at Taro's reply.

 **it's evening, go to sleep**

 **anything's good on you i guess**

 **eh, I'm not picky**

"I can see why you were so sleepless." Bjorn commented, while turning back to the road.

"Yes, school is the last place I want to go to right now." Taro said before going into another fit of coughs.

"You gonna be okay?" Bjorn asked.

"Yeah... It's just a cold..." Taro said while putting on his backpack. "Let's head off."

Taro and Bjorn went on their path. There were a handful of people staring at Bjorn because of his unnatural height, though it was already common for Scandinavians to be that tall so none were suspicious. Bjorn then takes the opportunity to tell Taro.

"So, you a fan of boxing or MMA?" Bjorn asked.

"Not really. Why?"

"Oh nothing. Just wanted to know if you followed Flavius Aurelius the Boxer."

"Who's that?" Taro asked.

"He's just a guy with a really mean kick and an even meaner hook. I've watched him a few times on television and it was KO for every opponent he's fought."

Taro cringed at that, remembering another certain warrior who had that mean hook. Taro nearly lost a jawline to that Centurion punch. Bjorn takes notice of this and chuckles.

"Guess you still have bad memories of those Centurions!"

"Don't remind me…" Taro said while coughing. "I still have a grudge against the knights."

"Why not the Vikings? You haven't been hostile to me at all."

"Your lot are still a bunch of savages. I just have some… personal business against the knights." Taro added. "You could say that I dislike them abnormally."

But then a peachy voice rang out something that sent shivers down Taro's spine.

"Taro~"

"Oh shit." Taro cursed.

The two men saw Charlotte skip towards Taro, her cheery exterior and her bouncing chest made Taro feel like vomiting. She then sees Taro and looked worried.

"What happened to you sweetie?" Charlotte asked while examining his face closely.

"I got sick... None of your business." Taro coldly replied before going into a fit of coughs.

"Ho-hum!" Charlotte huffed. "That simply won't do! I will have the butler prepare some soup and medicine for you!"

"You don't really need to–"

"But for now just hang on 'kay?" Charlotte said while booping Taro's nose. "Do you want to take a ride in my limousine?"

"I'd rather not…" Taro replied. "You see I… I…"

Charlotte waited expectantly for Taro as he struggled to find an excuse. But Bjorn suddenly wraps his arm around Taro.

"We're just havin' a man-to-man discussion! Taro's got some serious stuff that only guys can talk about."

"Oh, but isn't he a bit too ill to walk to school?" Charlotte asked worriedly.

"Oh he'll live! Would be a huge blow to his pride if someone helped him!" Bjorn laughed.

"Okay then, but I'll be back to check on you!" Charlotte said as she went ahead, before stopping and turning her head at Taro. "Oh and Taro, don't forget about our meeting!"

Taro felt nauseous that he had to see Charlotte again, he averted his gaze in hesitation, with Charlotte giggling.

"You're really cute! I really hope that I can remember more about you!" Charlotte commented.

Charlotte then skipped ahead with a huge smile on her face, causing onlookers to look in amazement at the foreign beauty. Taro and Bjorn saw her enter the limousine as she waved at them both as the car left. Bjorn laughed nervously as he saw the tired look of Taro's face.

"Wow. That's rough for ya."

"And it's only Day One, I gotta get her memories back and fast!" Taro said before coughing again.

"Let's discuss that on the way shall we?"

As Taro and Bjorn walked down the road to Akademi High School, a thought pops up in Bjorn's head, prompting him to ask Taro.

"Have you ever considered romance with her?" Bjorn asked.

"No. Never. No matter how beautiful and charming she becomes, I'll resist it to the end." Taro replied passionately.

"Ah, so you admit that she's beautiful and charming?" Bjorn smirked.

"Err… Shut up!" Taro angrily retorted, blushing under his mask. "Your Viking intellect is as dull as ever."

"Well…?" Bjorn asked with a smug expression. "Do you?"

"Hmph." Taro huffed, and averted his gaze. "I'm not attracted to her, but I have to admit that her charms go well with her looks."

"Hehehehehe…" Bjorn chuckled softly. "Okay, but have you ever fallen in love for real?"

"Yes... I had the opportunity many times but… I only fell once." Taro said while looking to the sky. "But soon, you'll have to learn the pain that comes with it."

"You want to talk about it?" Bjorn asked.

"I was always just excited about it." Taro said while looking wistfully. "It was something that was so mysterious and when I finally experienced it, it died quickly. The woman I fell for was suddenly gone."

"What happened? You two got into a fight? She cheated on you? Or vice versa?" Bjorn asked.

"She was gone." Taro replied.

Bjorn was confused at the vague reply. Did she die? Did they get separated from each other? There could be a million different scenarios that could emerge from that sentence.

"So what?"

"I didn't see her again. One day she said that she would be back, she never came back." Taro said emptily.

"Wait, that's it?" Bjorn asked.

"Nnngh…." Taro said while clutching his head in pain, having a headache. "Yes, but that had broken my heart and god was it so painful."

Bjorn listened intently to Taro's story.

"Though others have insisted I find another one. There was no other one, there was just her." Taro said with a tear streaming down his cheek. "In the end, I just asked myself what's the point of falling for someone when it'll end in heartbreak?"

Bjorn saw that this was a very vulnerable side of the supposedly stoic samurai. It seemed his loss had affected him more than he realized.

"But then you begin to feel less and less pain from the heartbreak. It becomes normal, and you feel nothing at all." Taro said with an expressionless face.

Bjorn actually shivered there. Taro looked inhumanely hollow there. He seemed so empty with that stare, adding even more creepiness to what he had just said.

 _"Geez, this kid's got it pretty harsh with his life on edge! Kinda weird being the one with the boring lifestyle here."_

Taro and Bjorn passed by the bakery, where Amai Odayaka was still cleaning outside. Taro waved to Amai, who happily waved back at him. Taro and Bjorn then entered the school gates and then passed into the building. From there, Taro and Bjorn parted ways as Taro made way towards classroom 3-2.

Taro entered the classroom, to see all the girls gathered in front of Charlotte. Taro noted that they were heavily interested in her, as he saw them hang on to her every word. Taro hoped to last until the start of the subject, so he just decided to lay low and read a novel that was recommended to him by his grandfather, Musashi. Though Taro did not listen to the conversation, he could still hear it while reading his book.

"So you have amnesia Charlotte-san?" Midori asked.

Taro paid no heed to the conversation as he sipped his tea from the thermos.

" _Man, technology has come so far."_ Taro commented while reading his book.

"Yeah…" Charlotte replied embarrassingly. "It's only partial amnesia so I still remember lots of people! Including you guys!"

"So what or did you forget then?"

"I forgot what happened moments before I was unconscious, and unfortunately, I also forgot someone apparently special to me." Charlotte said while turning to Taro. "Isn't that right, Taro?"

The companions of Charlotte glanced at Taro, who sputtered his tea in shock, before avoiding the gazes of the girls. Charlotte gazed at Taro with an affectionate look, with Taro wearing a tense expression.

"How can someone as plain as him be so special to you?" One girl asked bluntly.

" _Come on Charlotte, you can do much better than me!"_

"Well, he was the one who saved me and brought me to the hospital, so there must be some degree of closeness between us!"

"But what if there isn't?" Another girl asked.

"Well, we'll just have to see!" Charlotte replied cheerily. "After all, our date will hopefully shed some more light on our relationship!"

There was a long and awkward pause, the delicate silence being broken by an anxious Taro, quietly sipping his tea in a panicked fashion. The girls screamed in unison.

"YOU'RE GOING TO DATE HIM!?"

"B-But he's so plain! His personality is boring and his interests are so weird!"

"And he's really violent!"

"Yeah! I saw him beat up some high school students from other schools!"

Taro's self-esteem was taking a beating from the girls' endlessly candid comments, though it didn't really affect him, Charlotte was having none of it.

"That's enough. I happen to find his plainness attractive!" Charlotte snapped.

That was it for Taro, there was no going back after all. The conversation was interrupted by the timely arrival of he homeroom teacher.

"Okay class! That's enough speaking! Madam Charlotte is still recovering from her injury." Miss Kanon said before glaring at Taro. "And stop slouching over your seat, Mister Yamada!"

Taro didn't respond, still slouching in his chair. The teacher then points to Kokona, who was behind Taro.

"Wake him up! I will not tolerate sleeping in my class!"

Kokona took a closer look at Taro, to see his gaze empty but his mouth drooling. He seemed to be in state of shock, as his eyes were still open but his gaze was empty, indicating unconsciousness.

"Sensei! He passed out!" Kokona screamed.

"What!?"

It seemed that the pressure of the situation had gotten to Taro, and now he had gone into state of shock, not knowing what to do with his unfortunate situation with Charlotte. Taro was brought to the clinic shortly after and wakes up in the bed. He sees Charlotte sitting by his bed as he facepalmed and groaned. Charlotte then puts a hand on Taro, causing him to tense up.

"Are you okay sweetie? I was a little worried back there."

"Don't call me sweetie." Taro said while motioning to stand up. "Let's get back to class!"

"No!" Charlotte said while forcing Taro back down. "I have your medicine and your soup, you will sit down and rest until lunch!"

Taro was surprised by how strong Charlotte was when she put her passion into it. Maybe if Taro could find a way, he could finally get Charlotte's memories back. Taro then decided to take the free time and come up with his next strategy. Taro was deep in thought as Charlotte then asked.

"So… while we're both here, I have a question."

Taro nodded at Charlotte, gesturing for her to go on.

"What was our dynamic before I lost my memories? How did you…" Charlotte blushed while pointing to Taro, before pointing to herself. "Treat me?"

"Like an annoyance. Like I didn't want you around." Taro quickly replied.

"What?" Charlotte asked, a bit hurt at how Taro responded.

"I'd always be trying to shoo you away, but you'll just stick around just to annoy the hell out of me because you found my angry replies amusing."

"So you didn't like my presence?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes." Taro bluntly replied. _"Maybe the truth of our dynamic should throw her off."_

Charlotte was in deep thought, as Taro inwardly smirked. Maybe the truth about their relationship would make Charlotte less attracted towards him. He wasn't a hero, and he would have to break the prince charming image of himself. Taro tried to stir, but the pain in his leg caused him to hiss in pain, as Charlotte then said.

"Then why did you save me?" Charlotte asked. "You owed me n1othing, and yet you risked yourself to save me."

Taro scratched the back of his head and replied.

"Actually, you saved my life on one occasion and I merely wanted to return the favor."

"But why would you go the extra mile for me?" Charlotte asked.

Taro stopped to think. That was a good question. He just impulsively saved Charlotte and brought her to the hospital. He didn't know the exact reasoning behind his decision. But then he remembered that when he saw Charlotte in danger, he had a brief flashback to the heist of before. When he was completely vulnerable and at the mercy of his supposed enemy, she showed him compassion and mercy and saved his life. Taro only repeated what Charlotte had done for him.

"Well, I only did the same thing you did for me." Taro replied.

"Oh okay." Charlotte said while avoiding Taro's gaze, still shy to make eye contact. "So do you like the old me or the new me?"

"You mean the amnesiac you or the you with memories?" Taro clarified.

"Yes…" Charlotte shyly replied.

"I mean as much as your personality and looks have improved, I'm much more used to the Charlotte of before."

"But why? Weren't you more annoyed with the old me?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, but your innocence right now makes you vulnerable. I honestly feel more like the protector than your rival here."

"… Protector?" Charlotte questioned with a blush.

" _Crap…"_ Taro thought to himself. _"Did I just blurt that out?"_

"Was that what we were? Rivals?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, and uh…" Taro stuttered. "It's just– I mean— I don't— What I mean is— Look, I can't find a way to say this without hurting your feelings."

"My feelings?"

"The old Charlotte would have taken this better…" Taro muttered, before facing Charlotte. "Look, I don't hate you, but seeing you so vulnerable is something that unnerves me. Somehow, I feel like I haven't returned the favor because you still ended up like this. So don't feel hurt if I'm still disturbed by your amnesia, because I will find a way to return your memories."

Charlotte was shocked by this, her eyes widening. Taro finally thought he got her, but then, he saw her blush deepen and her pupils dilate. That wasn't supposed to happen. Dilated pupils and red face, that could only indicate one horrifying thing, infatuation. She hid her face while Taro asked.

"Something wrong?"

"N-Nothing!" said a flustered Charlotte, before running out, leaving Taro in the clinic alone. "I have to

Taro could only stare in astonishment of how he managed to make Charlotte like that. He could barely even process Charlotte's reaction. But he sees the nurse look at him with a smirk.

"Ah… Your quite the charmer aren't you now~"

"What the hell just happened?" Taro questioned out loud.

* * *

Charlotte ran through the hallways, before stopping and taking a break. Her heart was pounding like crazy, and began beating even faster when she thought of Taro. She didn't expect to hear those words from Taro. Whatever those words were at least. Charlotte immediately began to reminisce on that moment back in the clinic.

* * *

 **Charlotte's Imagination**

" _I really like you…" Taro said passionately while gazing into Charlotte's eyes. "I feel so troubled to see you so vulnerable and I feel like a failure for letting you get hurt. So let's get your memories back together!"_

* * *

" _Focus Charlotte, breathe…"_ Charlotte said while loosening her collar to let out some heat. _"Just thinking of him is making me crazy…"_

* * *

Taro decided to sleep off his sickness, he was too tired to try and resolve his sticky situation. He withdrew and began to doze off. But somehow, his troubles find their way into his dreams.

* * *

" _Huh? Where am I?" Taro wondered while looking around the room._

 _The room was large, resembling one of those cathedrals in Ashfeld. But Taro could only wonder what he was doing there. More importantly, what were all those people wearing suits and dresses were doing there, But he realized that he was holding hands with someone. He looks in front of himself and sees Charlotte, in a white dress, smiling at him lovingly. He looked to his left and saw the priest reciting._

" _I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss!"_

 _Taro then saw Charlotte lean towards his face, puckering up her lips. Taro couldn't even avoid it, his body began to move by itself. He leaned forward and began puckering his lips as well, as he mentally screamed._

" _NOOOO!"_

* * *

Taro woke up, breathing heavily in cold sweat. He looks left and right to see that he was still in the clinic. He sits back and relaxes, feeling tired from his dream. Seeing that the day was still young, he decides to doze off, hoping that he wouldn't be rudely awakened.

* * *

 _Taro saw the school gates, he wondered how he got out of the clinic. He sees that it is still morning and tried to enter. He glances at the other students at his side and does not see Charlotte in sight. Taro sighed in relief, but it may have been too soon. He saw an even more chilling sight. He saw someone, who looked exactly like him. He tried to conceal himself as he followed the doppelgänger through the crowd of students. He looked around for Ayano, wondering why she wasn't nearby. But the conversation from the two students, Midori and Kokona behind him. He listened to their conversation intently._

" _You heard about Yan-chan?"_

" _Yeah… I didn't think she'd do it." Kokona sighed depressingly. "She was such a good friend to me… I honestly feel a little lost without her…"_

" _What did she do?" Taro wondered._

" _Wasn't it because Taro rejected her?" Midori asked._

" _Rejected? More like shooed away!" Kokona said indignantly. "He told her to stay away from him! And now look what happened? Ayano's dead!"_

 _That sent jolts through Taro, as he angrily made his way through the crowd to confront the other Taro. He grabbed the other Taro by the shoulder, causing the other Taro to turn around and wonder._

" _Who are you? Why do you look like—"_

 _The other Taro was cut short as Taro threw a jab at his face, knocking down the boy. The other Taro caressed his bruised cheek and looked up in fear._

" _W-Why did you do that!?" The other Taro cried._

" _You killed her."_

" _What?"_

 _Taro then moved forward to attack the fallen boy, but was blocked by a platinum blonde girl. She wore a black headband, together with black stockings and black gloves, over the normal school uniform._

" _I don't care if you're Taro's relative or something, but don't hurt my boyfriend."_

" _Who the hell are you!?" Taro snapped._

" _I'm a Megumi Sayaka, now leave Taro alone." Megumi said more aggressively this time._

" _He's the reason Ayano's dead!"_

" _That's merely because I told him of Ayano's true nature. Ayano's death was mere collateral damage."_

 _Taro snarled at that. How dare they call Ayano 'collateral damage'._

" _She was being creepy and stalking me! I was just scared of her!" The other Taro replied frantically._

 _Something in Taro snapped at that, his pupils contracted, his fists clenched even harder. A few larger men gathered around Taro as Megumi then said._

" _I'm sure there's been a misunderstanding, so let my bodyguards escort you to the Principal's Office before this gets out of hand."_

" _Please follow us sir—" The bodyguard said before being kneed in the gut, causing him to keel over, which gave Taro time to headbutt him, putting him down.._

" _What the—" Another bodyguard expressed before being punched in his nethers and then roundhouse kicked in the head._

 _Taro was then grabbed from behind by another bodyguard as he savagely tried to free himself_

" _Sir! Calm down, or I will use deadly force!" The guard warned._

 _But Taro did not listen, instead he bit the guard's hand so hard that blood came out. The guard screamed in pain as Taro tore off a finger. The guard clutched his hand in pain, before Taro repeatedly punched his face and then kneed it. Megumi and the other Taro stared in horror at the carnage the enraged Taro had left. Megumi got into fighting stance and growled at Taro._

" _Why would you want to hurt someone as kind, gentle and timid as Taro!? He's never done anything to you and I'm sure he would never have done anything bad against you!"_

" _Kind? Gentle? Timid?" Taro scoffed. "More like weak, soft and cowardly."_

" _Then calm down and don't do anything rash! He's family right?" Megumi bargained, trying to appeal to Taro's sense of family._

" _Family? I wouldn't even consider this man worthy enough to serve me." Taro said bluntly._

" _Why do you care so much about that Ayano girl anyway? She was a stalker and a creep! She clearlyhad something wrong with her head!"_

" _Oh?" Taro asked with mock surprise. "And you didn't think that I knew that already? How about you? Did you insensitively reject her without considering the repercussions?"_

 _Taro stayed silent, but Megumi was quick to defend him._

" _He just made a mistake! And that girl was a danger to everyone! I have evidence of it!"_

" _And you chose to cast her out like a leper instead of trying to heal her?" Taro spat. "You're both good-for-nothing."_

 _Taro then stomped forward, with Megumi trying to strike him. Taro blocked the strike, and then gut-punched her before striking her and knocking her out. The other Taro snarled at Taro, who finally grew some courage and barked._

" _I'm not afraid of you."_

" _That's irrelevant." Taro said before grabbing the other Taro by the collar. "I only need your suffering."_

 _Taro began to beat the boy repeatedly, finding pleasure in his suffering._

* * *

Taro peacefully woke up this time. He sat up and began to reflect on his dream. "Megumi Sayaka" was irrelevant at the moment, since he never met someone like her before. Taro then meditated, trying to recall the meaning of his dream. His parents had always told him that his dreams always hid his subconscious feelings, so he needed to search deep within himself on what these feelings were. Taro sat and breathed in and out, and then opened his eyes.

The first dream's meaning was obvious. Taro feared a relationship with Charlotte. But Taro wondered why would it go as far as marriage. Did he subconsciously assume that he would reciprocate Charlotte's love in case Charlotte continued her advances. Taro quickly dismisses the thought of him reciprocating Charlotte's love/

The second dream's meaning was a little deeper. The doppelgänger was obviously an object of Taro's hatred, and "Megumi Sayaka" was another embodiment of what Taro hated. The other Taro was an embodiment of Taro's failure to make his friend Ayano happy. "Megumi Sayaka" was Taro's decision to let go of Ayano. Taro could barely remember the day Ayano was gone. But he knew that she was gone and never came back.

Taro shook his head and decided to save his reflection for another date. He was feeling much better and approached the nurse and asked her.

"What time is it?"

"Oh, it's already dismissal!" The nurse replied. "You should be getting home now! I brought your backpack for you!"

"Thank you." Taro replied while picking up the nearby backpack. "I'll be going."

"Okay! Stay healthy!" The nurse replied.

Taro picked up his backpack and headed out. He exited the gate, to see Charlotte wearing a green blouse and sunhat. Taro cringed a little at Charlotte looking so feminine. Charlotte smiled at him and said.

"So, where to?"

"Er… Let's just go to a small cafe." Taro replied awkwardly.

Both made their way to town, as Ayano stood behind a corner, watching the couple with burning jealousy.

Taro and Charlotte found a neat little cafe to eat in, as Taro and Charlotte sat down and gave their orders. Taro then sat idly, with Charlotte gazing at him wistfully. Taro awkwardly tried to avoid Charlotte's gaze. But Taro couldn't keep it going like this forever, in case Charlotte were to ever stay like this forever, he would need to make it clear that he would never reciprocate her feelings. And he was forced to make her learn it the hard way.

"So Taro… How—"

"I can't do this." Taro said.

"What?" Charlotte questioned.

"I can't lie anymore Charlotte." Taro said while saying. "I don't want to eat with you, I don't want you here."

"W-What…" Charlotte asked shakily, not understanding what Taro was saying.

"You're bothering me." Taro said bluntly. "I'm cancelling this right now."

"B-But what about—"

"I just can't deal with you right now." Taro said harshly. "I just need some time away from you."

"B-But…" Charlotte tried to sputter, her voice growing shakier, and her eyes tearing up. "Y-You don't like me?"

"I'm not talking about this with you." Taro said indignantly. "I cannot tolerate this any longer. Leave."

Tears flowed from Charlotte's eyes, as she covered her face in shame and ran out. Taro sighed as he mentally kicked himself for having to be so harsh. But Charlotte needed to know that Taro wasn't considering romance and that he wouldn't reciprocate her feelings. It was straightforward but very cruel. Taro looked around to see the glares of bystanders, showing their disapproval towards his heartless rejection of Charlotte. He sighed and walked out of the cafe. He looked left and right. It looked like Charlotte was gone. He then scratched his head and then said.

"You can come out now."

Ayano slowly rose from the bushes, a bit embarrassed from being found out.

"You really have to stop making a habit of stalking me."

"B-But you were on a date so…"

"Not anymore, come on, let's go." Taro said while walking down the road.

Ayano walked up next to Taro, still keeping her distance so Taro wouldn't get too close and cause her to spasm out like before. The silence was awkward and the walk even more so. Ayano had no way of breaking the ice, so she decided to ask Taro.

"How are things with Charlotte?"

"Not so well. But she'll turn around eventually." Taro sighed.

"You're no longer dating then?" Ayano asked.

"We never dated in the first place! Charlotte only fell for me after she lost her memories, all because of a stupid prank set on the door."

Ayano cursed herself for putting up that trap. It seemed that she had misinterpreted Charlotte's relationship with Taro. Lucky she had a way of fixing it. But Ayano noticed that Taro had already passed his house. She then expressed her concern.

"We just passed your house. Aren't you going home?"

"I still have a score to settle with those delinquents from Karejji." Taro said while pointing to the train station. "Info-chan gave me their whereabouts last night. Are you coming or not?"

Ayano was still iffy at the prospect of coming back to her old school. But Taro was going, so she would go anywhere. Anything for senpai.

* * *

Charlotte stopped running as she wiped her tears. She then sat on a bench, all alone in the park as she sighed. She did not expect Taro to be harsh so suddenly. It was like he was trying to terminate her feelings for him as quickly as possible. But Charlotte then remembered their conversation in the clinic.

" _I treated you like an annoyance."_

What if he was trying to restore that dynamic they shared? As much as Charlotte wanted to bring back that dynamic, she was too deep already. Even with the heartache, she still very much liked Taro. She wasn't sure if she should either keep this feelings for Taro or just dump them. Taro was like a fresh breath of air for her and she wasn't so sure if she was ready to give that up.

But her thought process is interrupted as someone snuck from behind and put a cloth over her face. Charlotte tried to struggle, but to no avail, as she lost consciousness shortly. Her unconscious body is carried by the assailant who then phoned someone and said.

"I got what you wanted boss, coming back to base."

* * *

Taro and Ayano waited on the train for a while, with Ayano still avoiding Taro's gaze. While the distance between them was a closing, Ayano still needed to control herself. She asked Taro.

"So what are we going to do?"

"Teach them a lesson and leave."

Ayano was a bit intimidated by Taro's short but accurate reply. They see the train come to a halt as Taro and Ayano walked the streets, using the same route they took the night before. Taro and Ayano entered the school, just when the students were already leaving. Some of the students noticed Ayano, who just hid her face behind Taro, but to no avail, as one student approached her.

"Hey! You're Ayano Aishi right?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"Oh nothing, Aso Ruto just talks about you a lot. Just wanted to see what you looked like." The student said while waving goodbye

"Aso Rito?" Taro questioned.

"Just a classmate." Ayano replied, her face blushing a bit. "It's nothing to worry about."

Taro and Ayano went to the back of the school, where the incinerator was. Taro then saw a basement door beside it and asked Ayano.

"You were an old student here, where does this door lead to?" Taro asked.

"I don't know. We weren't allowed to enter that door."

"And I think I know why…" Taro said while forcing the door open, revealing a barely lit room, with another door inside.

The room didn't have anything interesting, mostly controls for electronics and the pipeline. Taro looked on straight ahead, while Ayano began to reminisce on the area. Taro and Ayano wandered around as Ayano muttered.

"I'm beginning to remember…"

"Well save it for later, we're looking for a door with a bodyguard right beside it…" Taro said while seeing the aforementioned door and bodyguard.

The bodyguard was a delinquent with a pompadour. Instead of looking angry, he looked delighted, glancing at Ayano.

"Yan-chan! You're finally back! Osorō will be really—"

Taro punched the delinquent hard in the face, knocking him out. Taro crouched and grabbed the keys from his pockets. Ayano stood back as Taro unlocked the door and opened it, seeing multiple delinquents in the room, attending to their own business. Some were smoking in the corner, others were playing cards and games. Others were even drinking alcohol. It was a disgusting sight, but one that Taro and Ayano barely even noticed.

That was until a delinquent notices Taro in the room and struts towards him.

"Oi, oi. What do we have here? An Akademi student? You have some nerve coming here out of all places."

Other delinquents joined in, ganging up on Taro. Taro just stood there silently while they made threats against him.

"What's wrong cat got your tongue?!"

"Do you want a beating!?"

"I'll crush you, you little bastard."

Taro then breathed in and out, it was the Orochi state of mind once again. He punched the first one in the face, before kicking another one behind him. He then kneed another in front of him and threw him at a couple more guys.

"Hey! This guy's beating up the gang! Get him!"

The delinquents mobbed Taro as he fought savagely, avoiding every attack and downing all the delinquents quickly. Taro wasn't getting tired, as he found joy in beating up all these disobedient and insubordinate members of society. That was one of the merits of being trained as an assassin. But the fight quickly ends, and Taro sits over a mountain of beaten men. He slides off the pile and tells Ayano.

"Well that settles it."

"No it doesn't."

Taro perked up at the aggressive masculine voice, he turned to see a blond man, wearing a jacket over his shoulders like a cape. He had scars all over his face and his long blond hair was unkempt and messy. Judging from his demeanor and aura, he was clearly the leader.

"Osorō… Save us…" One of the delinquents said weakly.

"What's with beating up my lackeys huh?"

"They vandalized our school for petty revenge. I think I've been quite merciful." Taro replied coldly.

"That's only because you beat us up…" One of the delinquents protested.

"And that's only because you were about to hurt Ayano. I was there to save her."

Osorō noticed Ayano with Taro as he then blushed and said.

"H-Hey Yan-chan…"

"Hello Shidesu." Ayano said impassively.

"I didn't think you'd come back…" Osorō said shyly.

"I'm not here for you. I only accompanied senpai here."

"Damn it! Where did I go wrong Ayano!? Why did you just leave!?" Osorō angrily asked.

"It has nothing to do with you Shidesu-san, I just don't love you." Ayano said while going behind Taro.

Osorō noticed this and pointed at Taro angrily.

"You! You think you can just waltz in here and act like you own everything!?" Osorō asked, enraged.

"No, I act like I know that you people deserve punishment. This is justice."

"How is it justice that you get Ayano and I don't huh!? She freed me. She's the one who taught me compassion and love!" Osorō snarled.

"I don't know, but that doesn't justify everything you've done."

"Then fight me, and we'll see who's correct." Osorō challenged, taking off his top, leaving him shirtless.

"So be it." Taro replied while taking off his shirt.

Osorō and Taro got into stance. Osoro throws the first punch, but Taro catches and adjusts his grip, putting Osorō in a lock.

"Do you surrender?"

"The hell are you talking about!?" Osoro angrily shouted before throwing another punch. "I haven't even started."

Taro dodges the punch with a bored expression. Taro then closes in and knees Osorō in the gut, before slamming him down on the ground.

"You know nothing at all." Taro muttered as he put on his shirt and heading for the door. "Come on Ayano, we're done here."

Osorō could only watch as his first love walked out the door, without any heed towards him. It was the last thing he saw before he blacked out.

* * *

Taro sighed as he stared at the sunset. That was another job done. Ayano came out of the basement and stood beside him. Both stared over the horizon, before Taro asked.

"How many boyfriends did you have?" Taro asked.

"W-Why would you ask that?" Ayano asked, surprised at Taro's query.

"Just asking."

"None. Many boys fell in love with me here but I did not return their love." Ayano replied.

"You sure you're not pulling my leg just to make me like you?" Taro smirked.

"No! I would never lie to senpai!" Ayano protested.

"I merely jest." Taro replied with a smirk. "Come on, let's get back to Buraza."

Taro and Ayano were making the journey back to the train station, but Taro suddenly received a call on his phone. Taro was confused on who could be calling him at this time. He expected it to be Charlotte, who mostly would have wanted to talk after that unsavory incident in the cafe. He picked up the phone and asked.

"Hello?"

" _ **Taro, this is Info-chan. I got some bad news."**_

"… What is it?"

* * *

Charlotte woke up in a cell, where it was cold and dark. She looked left and right to see other girls being imprisoned. She saw one of Taro's friends, Osana Najimi, also tied up, starving and barely hanging on. She quaked in fear as she saw a man outside her cell. The man then laughed and said.

"Hello Ms. Weber, I will be your host for tonight."

* * *

Taro dressed in his armor, and sheathed his katana. He was donning everything from his helmet to his mask. He packed his spare kunais, smoke bombs and fire flasks. He packed his bag with improvised weapons and explosives before heading out, while Musashi fell asleep. He then recalled the instructions given to him by Info-chan.

" _ **I've gathered you, Ayano, and Bjorn to address the problem with Charlotte's kidnapping. Our informant has told us that the police will be useless in this situation, so calling them is out of the question. Instead, you'll be meeting with a friend of Ayano, one who has ties to the Yakuza gang. Meet them in the smoking area of the Buraza train station."**_

Taro walked to the train station and entered the smoking area. There he saw Bjorn, Ayano, and a man wearing a long-sleeved polo, with a black tie and black vest. His hair was styled into a clean and slick mullet, his beard a neat goatee. He was smoking a cigarette while Taro approached him and said.

"I assume you're our informant and Yakuza gang member?"

"As a matter of fact I am. Not much trust yet, so no names. Just call me Geshunin for now."

"Geshunin as in the word for criminal? Rather straight forward of you."

"At least I'm honest." Geshunin said while lighting another stick. "So I assume Info-chan told you everything?"

"Well, no." Bjorn added in. "We still need to know why you're interested in this."

"Hmph. Easy." Geshunin smirked. "The gang that kidnapped Charlotte is a Ronshaku business that betrayed the Yakuza not too long ago. They plan on ransoming her to her billionaire father for a huge sum, boosting their strength. The leader wants me to help you as much as I can in preventing that from happening."

"Fair enough." Taro said while walking up to Geshunin. "You're in."

"Already a good start and the leader does have one little request from you Sir Yamada."

"What is it?"

"Kill as many as you can." Geshunin said with delight.

"I'll kill their leader if you want me to."

"So what do we do? What's our plan Geshunin?" Ayano asked while walking up to him.

"Let's discuss this on the nearby coffee table, I have the plans set already." Geshunin said while everyone transferred to the table, with a map of some sort. "I plan on storming the Ronshaku at the front with a few men. From there, Taro will sneak in while the gang members are distracted and sabotage the area, Ayano will go inside and try and rescue Charlotte. Bjorn will be waiting outside here to cover your escape route."

"Wait, how are we sure that you won't take Charlotte for yourselves?" Taro questioned skeptically.

"Please, unlike those dumbass Ronshakus, we Yakuza actually have brains. We have no desire to cause international incident. After all, the leader wouldn't want to look bad in front of his good friend, the German Ambassador."

"Fair enough, let's roll." Taro said while walking out of the train station, with Geshunin leading them to the van.

The van drove for quite a bit as Taro and Ayano geared up. Taro took off his armor and put on the kevlar vest, before putting his samurai armor on top. While it indeed felt heavier, it was for protection since these guys had guns. Geshunin handed Taro a can of spray as Taro asked.

"What's this?" Taro asked.

"Bulletproof coating. Creates a hard coating that gives you extra protection. I suggest you use it for good measure."

Taro couldn't argue with that logic and sprayed it over his armor. And soon, the van stops, with Taro , Ayano and Bjorn being dropped off at the side of the mansion of the Ronshaku. Taro and Ayano waited idly, with Bjorn holding up his bulletproof shield.

"Are you ready for this?"

"Yep, and you got our escape route covered?" Taro asked.

"I've set up some traps, so watch your step." Bjorn replied.

"You ready Ayano?" Taro asked.

"I'm fine, let's just concentrate on the task." Ayano replied.

The sound of an alarm interrupted the conversation. The sounds of screams, explosions and gunshots filled the air. Taro then looked over the wall to see the gang members. Taro then gestures for Ayano to follow as he climbed over the wall and dropped down, with Ayano following him. Taro then took out his katana and waved it a bit.

" _We're coming Charlotte, just wait!"_

* * *

 **And cliffhanger! And I know you people will hate the fact that the next one will be posted in two weeks, WELL FEAR NOT! The next part will actually be released tomorrow! So don't fret! Because the epic conclusion to the Moe Charlotte Arc will soon be released.**

 **If you cannot review for some reason, then please PM me your review! is working up again.**


	9. Chapter 7: Charlotte Pt 2

**As promised, here's part two of the epic conclusion to the Moe Charlotte Arc!**

 **I don't own For Honor or Yandere Simulator**

* * *

Taro and Ayano hid behind the bush, as some men passed by quickly. Taro then eyed the vents, seeing that they were being guarded by some men being left behind. Taro quietly observed the situation, trying to see how he would break in. Taro then put on his mask, with Ayano putting on her mask as well. But Ayano stops him from peeking.

"What do you want Ayano? This better be good." Taro asked, a bit annoyed.

"There's something I need to tell you."

"Well can it wait? We have to save Charlotte—"

"I know how to bring back her memories." Ayano replied.

There was a long pause between the two, a gust of wind breaking the long silence as Taro and Ayano glanced at each other. Taro wasn't shocked, in fact, his face was completely serious, being in no mood for bullshit. Taro then glared at Ayano and asked.

"Are you absolutely sure that you know what you speak of?" Taro asked seriously.

"Charlotte suffered a concussion to the head correct?" Ayano asked, while bringing out an image. "A manuscript of pressure points states that a strike to the head will erase the person's memories and another strike to the head will restore the memories of the amnesiac."

"And if it fails?"

"Then Charlotte will forever be the amnesiac. There's no risk involved." Ayano replied.

Taro shook his head, and decided to save the decision for a later date. He wondered why he was so hesitant to bring back Charlotte's memories. But he knew he that he still needed to save Charlotte in order to even be able to restore her memories. He glances at the two guards standing by the vent. These people were scum anyway, it didn't matter if Taro killed any of them. Taro takes out a smoke bomb and prepares to throw it. Both Taro and Ayano drew their weapons as they got ready to jump the two guards. Taro threw the bomb and the guards recoiled in surprise as they tried to get back.

"What the—"

The smoke bomb blinded the two as they covered their eyes and screamed in pain. Taro jumped out from the bushes and sliced the two immediately with his katana. He made sure to keep it clean, as he did not want to leave too much evidence of his arrival. He gestures for Ayano to come out as he busted the vent open with his katana.

"Let's go." Taro said while asking Ayano. "Did Geshunin hand us the map of the ventilation system?"

"Yes, so where should we start?"

"I would highly suggest the control room for all the cameras, we'll be able to find Charlotte's whereabouts from there."

"Ok, I'll go in first." Ayano said while sheathing her knife.

"Before you do, take this." Taro said while handing Ayano a bomb. "It might come in handy."

"Okay, thank you." Ayano said before crawling into the vent.

Taro looked at the vent and realized that it was too small for him. While it could fit a young girl like Ayano, Taro feared that he might not have enough room to move. He peeked into the vent and said.

"Yan-chan, I can't fit inside. You'll have to go inside yourself." Taro said.

"So what should we do now?" Ayano asked.

"Get into the control room and find Charlotte's whereabouts, I'll keep the guards busy."

"How?" Ayano asked.

"By making some noise." Taro said while bringing out a bomb.

Ayano made a nod at that as she then said.

"Be safe Senpai."

"Don't worry Ayano." Taro reassured. "I will."

Taro then decided to look for another way of entry. He notices the back door, where there were guards stationed by the trash. That looked like the kitchen. Taro decided not to be so sneaky anymore, he needed to draw attention away from Ayano. He smirked and brought out his improvised fire flask and threw it. The explosion causes a blaze that burns the guards alive as they ran and screamed their heads off in pain.

Taro took the opportunity to break down the burnt door and get inside the kitchen. He heard more men coming as he took this chance to set a trap. He puts a nail bomb trip wire on the floor and hides behind the counter. As soon as the men entered the room, the bomb burst open, sending millions of sharp projectiles. The guards screamed in pain as they began to writhe in agony from their wounds. Taro jumps out and uses his katana to quickly kill the guards. They fall to his assault and Taro is left alone. Taro picked up one of the guns the men were holding since he couldn't hope to rely on his katana. Taro sneaks out of the kitchen and finds himself in the dining room. He hides under the table and peeks out, seeing many guards gathering near the door with their guns out. Taro brought out a smoke bomb as he thought.

" _This is going to be tough, I hope Ayano finds the control room soon."_

* * *

Meanwhile, Ayano quietly crawled through the vents, her movement through the ventilation being drowned out by the panicked screams of the guards and household staff. She looked at the map, seeing that she had to make another left before finally entering reaching the second floor ventilation. She crawled through the hallway ventilation, before making way to the control room. But then, she began to smell a sweet scent as she realized that the vents were probably rigged with some chemical sprayer. She listened in on the conversation in the control room to learn more.

"Activate the chloroform spray in the vents! I don't want any nasty surprises!"

"Yes sir!"

Ayano realized what the heavy scent was and began to feel sleepy. She smashes open the vent hatch and drops in on the control room man. With her kitchen knife, she stabs the man, and quickly takes over. She moves all the furniture to the door, blocking it, making sure no would be able to break through. She then looked through the cameras, pressing every button to see which camera it was. She finally found the one she was looking for, a room with the camera centered on a blonde girl, huddled in her cell.

"There she is." Ayano said while memorizing the camera and room name.

"Hey! Let us in!" A voice from the outside growled.

Ayano realized that she didn't have much time left. She took the furniture and stacked it up, and climbed into the vent. She then took out her lighter and ignited the bomb. She dropped it and crawled away quickly.

The door was forced open and the guards broke inside. They looked around the room frantically for the intruder, but only saw an object on the ground, a bomb.

"Oh son of a—"

A large explosion wipes the room, killing all those who entered.

Taro heard the explosion and realized that Ayano was discovered. He will have to make one hell of a distraction to catch the attention of guards. He decided to begin his plan of action and threw the smoke bomb to the group of guards. The guards were blinded as Taro ran in with a katana in one hand and a gun in the other. Taro used the smoke to cover himself as he snuck up on people through the smoke and quietly killed them. He then saw more men coming from afar as he pointed his gun at them and pulled the trigger, sending a blaze of bullets that killed the group quickly. The recoil of the gun left a sting on Taro's hands, so Taro decided to drop it instead. He looked around to see majority of the guards dead as he then decided to try and kill more guards. He walked to another corridor, but hid at the sight of other guards, who were saying.

"Guard this area! We can't let them get to the cells!"

" _Cells? Are they keeping someone in there? Could it be Charlotte?"_ Taro questioned, while bringing out a kunai. _"Only one way of finding out."_

* * *

Ayano crawled through the vents while looking at her map again. She sees her stop and breaks open the hatch of the vent, breaking into the prison area. Ayano saw all the girls being kept in her cells, but she wasn't there for them, she was there for Charlotte. She sees the table and grabs the keys, while looking for a certain blonde. She finds her in one of the cells, still huddled and scared. Ayano unlocks the cell door, causing Charlotte to uncurl and look up.

"We're here to save you." Ayano said, as she extended a hand towards Charlotte.

Charlotte grabbed her hand and stood up, but not recognizing Ayano through the mask.

"W-We have to save the other girls!"

"We only came for you Charlotte, the other girls can wait."

"No they won't." Charlotte said while grabbing the keys.

Ayano watched as Charlotte ran up from cell to cell, unlocking the cells and letting the girls out. Charlotte then guided the scared girls to Ayano as Charlotte then asked.

"Where are we going?"

"We are supposed to escape through the back, follow me." Ayano said while sneaking through the prison hallway.

Ayano made her way slowly through the basement, carefully watching her surroundings. She used her flashlight to light the way as Charlotte followed her, together with the other kidnapped girls. Ayano finally sees the door and opens it. Ayano then guided Charlotte and the girls to the corridor, but they stop to see that there was a very large man, with a bulletproof shield and a giant baton. Ayano had no other weapons with her as she only had her kitchen knife. Charlotte and the girls hid behind Ayano in fear as Ayano braved the charging man.

But much to their shock, an unknown assailant and attacked the man. Dropkicking the man and sending him back. The girls stared in awe at their savior, who was wearing samurai armor. Ayano realized that the man was Taro as she rushed in to help him.

Taro gets bashed with the shield, the concussions stunning him. The man then strikes Taro with his large baton, causing Taro to fall down. But Ayano comes in time and strikes the man with her knife. The large man kicked Ayano back, but that gave Taro ample time to leg sweep him, causing the man to fall. Taro then decapitated the man with his katana, horrifying the spectators. Taro then nodded at Ayano, who gestured for the girls to follow.

They all ran to the center, where they met a frightening sight. It was a group of guards with their guns pointed at them. There was a fat man in a suit, smirking evilly as he then stepped forward. Taro kept wary while he kept Ayano, Charlotte and the other girls back.

"So… You think you can waltz into **my** home and destroy everything I've built?"

"Built on a reputation of dishonor and disgusting crime." Taro countered.

"A dirty brick is still a brick." The man said while saying. "Besides, I have a deal for you, so consider my mercy for one moment."

"… What is it?" Taro asked.

"Taro! Don't listen to him!" Charlotte begged.

"We'll let the foreigner go, just let us keep the other girls." The man smirked.

Taro looked at all the girls, who gave him a pleading look not to give them away. Taro sighed and replied to the man.

"Fine." Taro said while sheathing his katana.

"No!" The girls begged.

"Good choice!" The man said gleefully while walking forward.

But Taro smirked under his mask. He pulled a kunai from his sleeve and threw it at the boss, killing him instantly. Taro then shouted.

"Take cover!" Taro warned, before quickly drawing a fire flask and throwing it at the crowd of guards.

The men screamed in pain as they were burned alive. Taro ignored their pained screams as he calmly gestured for the girls to follow him. The girls shivered from the sight of the corpses left by Taro, but Taro and Ayano paid no attention to it. Taro calmly opened the kitchen door and walked out to the back of the mansion, where he and Ayano entered. He grabs a nearby ladder and says.

"Outside of this wall there will be a large man with a riot shield and baton, he is friendly. He will protect you until the police arrive, so do cooperate with him."

The girls nodded before climbing the ladder over the wall. Taro and Ayano nodded as they then brought Charlotte. But Taro's eyes widened as he saw someone trying to shoot Charlotte. He tried to save her, but a bullet grazes her leg, causing her to scream in pain. Ayano instinctively shoots the assailant before attending to Taro, who took off his mask as he breathing became more panicked. The shock of the pain causes Charlotte to lose consciousness, but not before she stroked Taro's face.

"Taro… Is that you?"

Taro carried Charlotte and climbed over the ladder, with Ayano following. Ayano and Taro made a run for the park outside of the mansion, where Bjorn was patiently waiting, together with the rescued girls. Bjorn then asked Taro.

"Should we call the police now?"

"Yes, please. And have them call an ambulance." Taro replied while gently setting down Charlotte.

Bjorn saw Charlotte's grazed leg and wasted no time in contacting the authorities. Taro quickly took off his armor and changed to casual clothing, with Ayano following the same. Taro looked at the girls, who were traumatized from the incident. He spotted Osana among the bunch and asked her.

"Hi Osana, how are you holding up?"

"H-Hi, I'm fine…" Osana shakily replied. "W-Who are you?"

Taro frowned as he realized that Osana was too delirious to act properly. He decided to just sit in deep thought, waiting for the authorities to arrive. Hopefully everyone would be okay.

* * *

Taro sat down outside the hospital room, bandaged up. Beside him was Ayano, who was also bandaged up due to her injuries. Taro was waiting for the news on Charlotte as he then saw Heinz Weber approach him.

"Thank you, for saving my daughter."

"No problem. I didn't do it alone." Taro replied.

"I know. I already paid them what's due." Heinz replied. "I happen to be friends with plenty of people."

"Wait, you're friends with the Yakuza?" Ayano questioned.

"Of course, how else would Geshunin know about my daughter missing?" Heinz asked, while whispering. "And I know about the stunt you pulled a few nights ago, so I knew that you were the perfect person for rescuing her."

"Wait, how'd you know that?" Taro asked, his eyes squinting.

"I have plenty of ways of knowing, so do't be surprised if I know more than you'd like me to know. As long as you're Charlotte's friends, I won't do anything bad against you."

"That's good to know." Taro replied curtly.

"So what do you want in return? Cash? Favors?" Heinz asked.

Taro and Ayano glanced at each other, before facing Heinz again.

"Just don't let the news know that it was. I don't want to draw attention to myself or Ayano." Taro replied.

"I'll try my best, but no promises." Heinz replied.

The creak of the door interrupted the conversation, with Taro and company seeing Bjorn, who wasn't as bandaged as Taro and Ayano.

"So… You kinda got the brunt of the mission huh?" Bjorn said embarrassingly.

"It's all good. Since when were we never injured?"

"Next time, let me handle the fighting. You're getting more scars than me." Bjorn joked.

"Of course, the savage needs his daily dose of battle anyway." Taro replied with a smirk.

"By the way, Charlotte wanted to talk with you. Alone." Bjorn replied.

* * *

Taro then stood up with a big gulp, and nodded. Taro entered the room, where he saw the same smiling Charlotte. She was blushing heavily as if she were so in love with him. Taro sat down beside Charlotte's bed and asked.

"So you wanted to talk to me?" Taro asked.

"I just wanted to have a real heart-to-heart talk with you. I just wanted to thank you for saving me." Charlotte said while holding Taro's hand. "I just felt so happy knowing that you came for me."

"Don't think too much of it." Taro replied dismissively.

"But I can't. I was wondering if these feelings of mine could ever be dumped but after what happened, I don't think there's any going back." Charlotte before facing Taro with a blush. "Taro, I-I love you."

Taro was not flustered or embarrassed to say the least. He took a deep sigh and said.

"I know how to bring back your memories."

Charlotte was shocked to hear this from Taro.

"W-What?" Charlotte shakily asked.

"I can bring back your memories, and make you normal again. You'll finally remem—"

"But I don't want to remember!" Charlotte fiercely protested.

Taro was severely confused by this. He couldn't understand why Charlotte was so indignant about this.

"But why?"

"If I ever get my memories back, I'll forget these feelings I had for you!" Charlotte protested. "I don't want to let these feelings go!"

"What makes these feelings so special?" Taro asked.

"I feel genuinely happy! I don't know if I'll ever be as happy when I get my memories back! So please Taro." Charlotte begged while holding Taro's hands. "Just leave me be! I don't ever want this feeling to ever go away."

Taro pitied Charlotte and her situation. This was a feeling she never felt and she didn't want to forget it. She wanted the feeling of being in love with Taro because it made her happy. He couldn't just leave it like that. He needed to leave Charlotte with something. He pulled Charlotte closer and kissed her in the lips. Charlotte was shocked by the move, before going with it as she grabbed Taro as they both kissed passionately. Taro then withdrew from the kiss, leaving a trail of saliva. He then whispered to Charlotte's ear.

"I'm sorry."

Before Charlotte could react, Taro applies a palm strike to her forehead, knocking her out. In a few seconds, Charlotte regains consciousness ad sits up. She scratches her head and groans.

"Ugh… What happened? Feels like I've been hit by a thousand horses…"

"You were knocked unconscious and kidnapped. We rescued you and you're currently recovering."

"Uh… really?" Charlotte asked in a tired voice. "Geez, a lot happened then. Thanks for saving me by the way."

"No need for gratitude." Taro said while walking out. " I have to go."

"Wait, before you go, can you have a nurse get me some water? I have a weird taste in my mouth." Charlotte said while smacking her lips. "I had this really weird dream that I kissed someone for some reason."

Taro did not respond as he blushed at what Charlotte. God, she really was driving him crazy. Taro then exited the room and approached Ayano.

"You want to go now?" Taro asked.

Ayano did not hesitate as she followed Taro. Taro climbed down the stairs and began walking through the streets.

"So what do we do now?"

"We'll just stop by ojisan's house for breakfast, I need someone to support my alibi for being out last night."

And with that, Ayano followed her senpai to his house, not as a stalker but as a friend, with the sun rising on them.

* * *

"Here are the files sir." Info-chan said while handing envelopes to a muscular man. "I understand about Charlotte Weber, but why are you interested in Taro Yamada, and Bjorn Ruriksen?"

"It's a private matter that only they'll understand." The man said before adding. "And please, call me Aurelius."

* * *

 **And that's it! I hoped you enjoyed this finale to the Moe Charlotte Arc!**

 **And fear not! This isn't the last we'll be seeing of the amnesia Charlotte!**


	10. Chapter 8: Interlude

**Update. Sorry for the lateness, I had a retreat and exams.**

* * *

"A vacation?" Taro questioned before sipping from hid tea. "What's that?"

It was night in the Yamada residence, with both Taro and Musashi serenely eating and discussing like mature individuals. Taro and Musashi had already finished their food and immediately went had a discussion over some tea.

"A vacation is when you have a short break from school or work. This is usually when you take the opportunity to travel with your family."

"So it's like leave then?" Taro asked.

"Er, yes. Though I could not imagine what work was like for you back in… you know."

"Well, we samurai were often concentrated on combat, and usually left the peasants for the rest of the work."

"Er yes, but this time, you'll be going on a trip." Musashi added.

"Wait, but do I not still have school?" Taro asked with confusion clear in his voice. "Would it not be unbecoming of me to skip school for this so-called vacation?"

"Well actually, the mayor suspended classes for a week in Buraza in light of the increased crime activity. Police are still investigating the Ronshakus for their criminal activity. Who would have known that they were the reason for the missing girls, especially poor Osana."

"The fact that they even considered that course of action is disgusting in itself."

"Anyway, my nephew, Yuuji Nejima, has invited the both of us to join his the Nejima family vacation together with some other people. You will be spending time with your second cousins who will be taking a family vacation to the forest for camping, and then the hot springs."

"Wait, what about you?" Taro asked curiously. "Are you coming?"

"Of course, I'll just be busy with the adults while you socialize with your cousins." Musashi said before leaning back. "Also, there's something really important that you need to know about the law of this land."

"What about it?" Taro asked.

"In 1975, or about forty-two years ago, there was law passed known as the Yukari Law, a strategy to increase the declining population. The government will gather your personal information and decide who is the best partner for you and arrange a marriage for you at the minimum age of 16."

Taro was a bit fascinated that there was a system like that, and though he wasn't in any position to judge, it was a bit cruel to prioritize the state's concerns over the concerns and liberty of its people. Though Taro had worshipped the Emperor like others, he valued personal freedom as well, and any Emperor who didn't value the personal freedom of his subjects isn't an emperor worth bowing to.

"That seems a bit unethical." Taro commented. "Though not unusual, since in the samurai society, arranged marriages are common, but I have never heard of the government monitoring our desire to marry."

"I agree, there was strong opposition to it as well, but the government had the last say. And to judge Japan's progress over the last few years, many Yukari arranged couples have ended up having successful marriages and talented children. I personally don't know how they do it, but the compatibility calculations are amazing, and you cannot deny its success."

"So how do the teens know?"

"They receive a notice for it, and it is quite the news for youngsters."

"But that doesn't seem to affect daily life so far, why haven't I received one, or my other classmates for that matter?" Taro asked.

"There is a good explanation for that. The Yukari law doesn't include those with life-changing illnesses, those with a bad criminal record, and those who suffer from mental illnesses. There is also the fact that hackers also sabotage the Yukari database in protest of the law. Buraza is infamous for having its whole district being exempt from the Yukari arranged marriage. The government tries to reinforce it, but hacker opposition just makes it more trouble than it's worth."

"So is that the reason why it doesn't seem to be talked about much here?"

"The townspeople have a live and let live attitude to it. They respect people who get married under Yukari, but also make no mention of it within the town. But in reality, the people of Buraza are even envied by those outside.

"Ah, I see. So I shouldn't judge my cousin about his arranged marriage or his attitude towards it."

"Just break the ice with him and don't be too harsh." Musashi said after putting down his cup. "Also, we will be accompanied by the family of your second cousin's assigned wife, the Sanada family, together with some of your cousin's friends. So be nice to them as well."

"Of course, but do enlighten me ojii-san, what are the names so that I can address them properly." Taro requested politely.

"Okay, your second cousin will be the center of attention, his name is Yukari Nejima, call him what he wishes to call you, understand? His assigned Yukari wife is Lilina Sanada though I personally call her Ririna. Your uncle is Yuuji Nejima, his wife being Chisato and your other second cousin being Kizuna Nejima. The others I do not know."

"So when will we be leaving?"

"Tomorrow, we will take a train to Tokyo, where we will be meeting up with the family before taking a train to the hot springs area. We will trust you and the youngsters to take care of yourselves. But knowing you, you'll be fine. Got it?"

"Got it." Taro said with a smile.

"Go pack your bags, I left a list for you by your bedside." Musashi said while gathering the dishes. "I'll do the washing tonight."

"Okay ojii-san, I'll go ahead then. Thank you for the food!"

Taro went up the stairs, and walked to his bedroom door. He opened it and closed the door. He immediately took out of the largest bags from his cabinets and placed it next to his table, where he then got the piece of paper on top and read it. He then walked over to the cabinet and thought to himself.

" _Okay, toiletries are already self-explanatory, now what should I bring for clothing. The trip will be about five days, so I have to bring a lot."_

Taro then began to pack his items in, carefully analyzing what he should bring. With efficiency, he finishes his menial task and checks all the items on his list. He then grabs his bokken and places it in a special bag.

" _Too bad I cannot bring my katana. Though this world is already peaceful, my weapon is of sentimental value to me. I wonder if Charlotte thinks the same when she goes out."_

Taro then realized his thoughts and began shaking his head.

" _Why the hell am I thinking of that stupid knight, I got more important things to do!"_

On cue, the door creaks open, prompting Taro to turn around and see Musashi peeking his head through the door. Taro looks at him, expecting Musashi to say something important.

"I almost forgot Taro, Yuuji offered us three tickets, so if you want to bring one friend from school, go ahead. Though I'm not sure who you'll bring with Osana in the hospital."

"It's okay ojii-san, I'll make sure to let you know."

Taro then zipped up his bag and threw it onto the table. He then went and took his phone and thought.

" _Hmm… Is there anyone I want to bring? Charlotte has her own upcoming trip with Bjorn accompanying her as her personal bodyguard. Wait, why the hell am I thinking of them!? I should go for someone else…"_

From outside, Ayano hid in the bushes, anxiously waiting as she listened in on Taro's conversation. This was her chance to get closer to senpai, and she just needed him to choose her. It was nail-biting, almost frustrating to hear him think about it. But suddenly her phone rang out so loud that it made her jump. Ayano rushed to get the phone and silence it as the ringtone echoed through the outside. Ayano quickly picks up the phone and asks.

"This better be good damn it." Ayano said with frustration.

" _Oh, Yan-chan. Is this a bad time?"_

Ayano made a small "eep" as she glanced back at the window, seeing Taro on the phone. She goes back into the bushes and says.

"Oh! It's okay, just a bit tired and all." Ayano replied rosily.

" _I never had a chance to thank you for covering for me when I got back home, and I never had a chance to thank you for helping me save Charlotte."_ Taro voiced out in sincerity, though Ayano could hear him through the window.

"Oh it's all good! I just wanted to help you!"

" _Well that's great! I also want to return the favor. So do you want to join my grandfather and I for a joint family vacation?"_

"Sure! I'm free this vacation anyway!" Ayano said gleefully. "I'll go pack my bags!"

" _Okay, I'll send you all the details for the vacation so you can be prepared!"_

"Oh okay! Thank you so much again!" Ayano said gleefully once again.

Ayano then closed her phone and quickly vaulted over the fence and practically skipped on her way back home. This was her chance. She could finally spend some quality time with senpai, this trip would be great for her, regardless of the guests being there.

Taro then closed his phone and smiled, he opened his window and glanced at Ayano skipping on her way home. He gave himself a pat on the back as he decided to lie in bed and think for a bit.

* * *

" _So Ayano-chan, do you want to hang out some time?" Taro asked nervously while approaching Ayano._

" _Yes!" Ayano replied, strangely enthusiastic._

" _Huh?"_

" _I mean yes." Ayano said, this time more calmly. "Sorry for the volume, I was just a bit high-strung."_

" _Oh okay." Taro replied. "Do you want to meet me at the river nearby? We can go fishing and stuff…"_

" _Sure!" Ayano replied with a twinkle in her eyes. "I'll be there."_

" _Oh and wear some fishing clothes or something. It'll be weird for us to do it in our uniforms."_

" _Okay! See you later Taro!" Ayano replied with much cheer._

 _Taro walked away, mentally kicking himself for being so awkward. He wanted to know Ayano a bit more and he screws it all up with that sad invite. It was only generous of her to accept. But little did he know that he made a girl's day._

* * *

Taro fondly remembered that as well. Regardless of how awkward he was, he realized that he made Ayano's day by always inviting her and making her feel special. He snorted that he was using his past life as a guide to reconnect with those who were basically his loved ones in an alternate dimension. Maybe being brought to this world isn't so bad as he thought. At least now, he made Ayano smile.

And with those thoughts, Taro fell asleep.

* * *

Taro woke up to the sunlight. It was the day that he would be leaving for the vacation. He ran to the cabinet, put on a plain black t-shirt. He puts on a plaid red polo on top. He then puts on blue denim, slim fit pants, together with white socks and black sneakers. He looked at the mirror, and then at the picture of Taro, wearing the same outfit. Taro stares a bit before nodding in approval.

" _Okay, I should be able to look normal like this."_

Taro then grabbed his bag and rushed down the stairs. He sees his grandfather wearing an orange polo, and brown pants, also holding his bag. Taro and Musashi nodded at each other, both letting each other know that they were ready to go. Both set out of their house, to only see a sight to behold.

There was a girl, in a pink dress that had magenta ribbons tied onto it. The girl had her gray hair let down. She also seemed to carry a purse, but she also had a large bag with her. As soon as she laid eyes on Taro, she blushed and averted her gaze, prompting Taro to realize.

"Yan-chan, is that you?"

"H-Hi senpai!" Ayano shyly replied.

"You look like you've been waiting here for quite a while!"

"Well, I didn't know what time, so I just decided to be early." Ayano meekly responded.

Taro receives a disapproving look from his grandpa, much to his embarrassment. But there was something about Ayano's outfit that bothered him. He approaches Ayano and comments.

"So… That's what you're wearing huh?" Taro said while glancing up and down at the figure-revealing dress.

"You don't like it?" Ayano asked with a frown.

"Oh of course not, you look great." Taro clarified, much to Ayano's joy. "I'm just not used to it."

"What don't you like about it?" Ayano asked worriedly.

"Wait right there." Taro said while taking a hair tie from his bag and then reaching out to Ayano. "Do you mind?"

Ayano dumbly nodded as Taro then began to fix her hair. He did it with utmost concentration and efficiency, before finally stopping and sighing in relief.

"There, now you look even better." Taro said with much satisfaction.

Ayano looked at her hair through one of the puddles, and saw her usual ponytail.

"But this is just my normal hair style."

"And I really like it on you. Don't get me wrong, you looked beautiful with your hair let down, but you didn't look like Ayano."

"W-What are you implying?" Ayano asked.

"You want to look beautiful for me, but I want you to look like yourself, because that's person I want to see. I didn't invite you here as a pretty girl, I invited you here as my companion."

"Oh…" Ayano said while clutching her chest with her hand. What Taro said was so intoxicating, she had finally broken her first barrier with him and now he values her companionship.

Taro then looked at Ayano with satisfaction, before seeing the amused face of his grandfather, who was smirking at him.

"Oh don't let me interrupt your moment."

"Let's just go." Taro sighed as he picked up his bag and went out, going in the general direction of the train station, with Musashi and Ayano not far behind.

Taro, Musash, and Ayano shortly wait for the train. The train soon arrives and all three entered the train. With the trip being a bit long, and the morning meaning the seats were still empty. Taro and company decided to have a seat while on the train. With all of them seated, they began to wait a while until they reached their destination. On the way, Ayano asked Taro.

"So who is this family that's joining us?"

"I don't know. They're just there to bond because their kids were married by Yukari Law."

"Yukari Law?" Ayano asked curiously. "You mean the government arranged marriage that occurs outside of Buraza?"

"Yep, I think it's because reinforcing is too much trouble because of all the hackers fighting against it." Taro shrugged.

"Ah yes, I heard that a lot from Info-chan too. She actually doesn't like it too." Ayano commented.

"Wait, I just realized something." Taro said while turning to Ayano. "You studied in Karejji before right?"

"Er yes, what about it?"

"So you were outside of Buraza, meaning that you received a Yukari notice last year!" Taro said with much realization.

"Actually… No I didn't…" Ayano said somberly while hanging her head. "I was diagnosed with a mental disease since childhood, so I didn't receive mine…"

"Oh I'm sorry…" Taro said while hanging his head in embarrassment.

"Oh! That wasn't the main reason though. The data collected from the government was also always sabotaged by protesters and paid hackers to prevent the notices from ever being released."

"Oh really now? Is that why many guys actively pursued you?" Taro mischievously put in his question.

"Wait, who told you that?" Ayano asked worriedly.

"I merely jest." Taro smiled, calming Ayano, before feeling his body leaning. They had arrived at the station. Taro and company exit the train and head into the main hub. Taro and Ayano sat down on the bench, while Musashi then said.

"Stay her with your friend. I'll go call your Uncle Yuuji to tell him that we're here."

"Okay." Taro waved before sitting down, and Ayano sitting right by him.

As soon as both sat down, Taro felt something on his lap, as he saw Ayano collapse and fall asleep on his lap. He smiles and lets her rest, rather than bothering her and waking her up. Besides, he knew more about Ayano than he'd like her to know. He stroked with Ayano's hair for a bit before saying.

"You know Yan-chan, I know that you came earlier than necessary. You were always like that in Myre too. Whenever we'd go fishing, you'd arrive at least an hour earlier. Something about hanging out with makes you so enthusiastic that I'm honestly curious what you see in me." Taro said sincerely.

Though Ayano was asleep, Taro could see her smile and even giggle a bit in her sleep. Taro then sighed a sigh of satisfaction. He then continued to watch the sleeping Ayano, before hearing a young voice call out to him.

"Er, excuse me?" The voice asked politely.

Taro looked up to see a young man with short, shaggy, brown hair, and brown eyes. He wore a blue long-sleeved polo with rolled-up sleeves. He wore black shorts and had a small shoulder bag over his left shoulder.

"Hmm, yes?" Taro asked politely, looking at the stranger.

"Are you Taro Yamada?"

"As a matter of fact I am." Taro curtly replied.

"Oh really? Then it's nice to meet you Taro! I'm Yukari Nejima, your second cousin!" Yukari said while extending a hand.

Taro then returned the hand shake then looked at Yukari as he then thought.

" _Why do I have a feeling that this'll be interesting…"_

* * *

 **I added Koi to Uso/Love and Lies, no justification whatsoever, I just felt like it. So don't judge me.**


	11. Chapter 9: Sensei Kensei

**Update! In case you didn't know, this mini-arc is gonna be a crossover with Koi to Uso/Love and Lies. Read it if you want to understand this!**

 **I'm also iffy about continuing this fic after this arc, because I really want to follow the canon and Yandere Dev has given me little to work with, which is pretty much why you've only seen fillers so far. I might go on a hiatus until Yandere Dev fully releases Osana and Amai.**

 **Also, I'm not particularly proud of this chapter, so do understand if it's low quality for you.**

* * *

Taro stayed on his seat as Yukari then glanced down on him. Taro saw a relative innocence in the young man's eyes, which betrayed the rest of the young man's personality. Taro saw a generally well-meaning person behind those dark brown eyes. He could not stand up at risk of waking up Ayano after all.

"I'm sorry, is this a bad time?" Yukari asked, noticing Ayano sleeping on his lap.

"No, it's fine." Taro said while glancing down at Ayano. "She's a little tired from excitement for the trip."

"Is she your girlfiend?" Yukari asked curiously.

"Though it's flattering of you to think that, Ayano and I are just good friends." Taro smiled.

Taro could have sworn that he felt Ayano jerk, but ignored it as he then listened to Yukari.

"O-Okay, sorry for thinking that."

"Don't worry." Taro replied calmly. "Besides, where are your friends and family?"

"We're waiting by one of the restaurants, my dad sent me to look for you guys."

"That's good." Taro said while putting a hand on Ayano, and shaking her. "Yan-chan and I will be getting there soon."

Ayano immediately woke from the shaking as she frantically sat up. She rubbed her eyes and looked in surprise at Yukari, who was flustered, a bit abashed to meet the older girl.

"Yukari, this is my friend, Ayano Aishi." Taro introduced before turning to Ayano. "Yan-chan, this is my second cousin, Yukari Nejima."

"Oh nice to meet you Nejima-san!" Ayano said while bowing.

" _It's strange how much warmer Ayano is when she's around me. She'd given him the cold shoulder had I not been here."_

"N-Nice to meet you Aishi-san." Yukari replied, bowing.

"Taro, I found the Nejima and the Sanada family, let's move our things so that we can—" Musashi voiced out, before pausing at the sight of Yukari.

Ayano and Taro glanced at Yukari, who suddenly seemed awestruck at Musashi's arrival, as he then ran over and bowed to him.

"Yamada-dono, it's such an honor to meet you!" Yukari said sincerely.

Ayano and Taro observed that Musashi was a bit embarrassed at Yukari, as he then said.

"Don't call me that now Yukari, call me ojii-san like Taro does."

"A-Are you sure?" Yukari asked.

"Of course." Musashi smiled.

Taro and Ayano took this as an opportunity to pack up their belongings as Musashi also took his bag. As they prepared to meet the other families, Yukari then went to Musashi.

"Ojii-san, would you like me to take your belongings?" Yukari asked politely.

"No, no. It's all good." Musashi replied kindly.

Taro was curious why Yukari was treating his grandfather with such respect. While such treatment is customary in samurai society, Yukari seemed almost like a fanatic or an admirer than a model grandson. He approached Yukari and asked.

"Why are you treating my grandfather with such esteem?"

"Don't you know who your grandfather is?" Yukari asked with much surprise.

"Well I've been told that he was a minor celebrity." Taro admitted.

"Well whoever told you that was lying. Musashi Yamada is a very famous figure in the 70s, known under the alias of **Sensei Kensei.** "

That caught Taro's attention, as he looked at Musashi, wondering if he was possibly a Kensei. But he remembered his victory over him and dismissed it. It was probably pure coincidence.

"Sensei Kensei? I don't think I have heard of him." Taro conceded.

"Oh he's a really popular hero in the 70s. He was used as a means of teaching good manners and morals to two generations of children. His show, **Hikari no Senshi! Kensei no go An'nai** , or _Warrior of Light! The Guidance of a Sword Saint_ is a Japanese classic that's still used to teach children today."

"What exactly is the content of this show that makes it so popular?" Taro wondered.

"Oh it's so cool! With Musashi playing the honorable Kensei who fought the evil Ash Knights and the barbaric Vikings! Whenever he would need a powerup, he would always shout his signature move **"Korede shimaida"** or _This is the end_ , with his no-dachi lighting up in glorious flame!"

This already felt familiar for Taro. This was a massive romanticization of the samurai, though he wasn't complaining.

"Each episode always taught a certain value that children would always take to heart. The show itself went on for nearly a decade before Musashi resigned in 1975."

"So why does he not get that much attention?"

"He went into hiding and faded into obscurity. He has a huge following, and long-time fans have been searching for him. Though I doubt they'd recognize him now."

Taro mused on the fact that Musashi was a samurai celebrity, though he wondered how the concept of the Kensei arose. Then again, if a Warden, Orochi, and Warlord can be sent to this world, why not a Kensei? It was only a question of who. But Taro immediately stopped his thoughts as he saw the Sanada family and the Nejima family gathered outside the restaurant. They waved as the largest men, the fathers, came to greet Musashi.

"See, told ya the big Sensei Kensei would come himself!" Yuuji said proudly.

"You weren't kidding." The tall blond man said while bowing before Musashi. "It's such an honor to meet you Yamada-dono, I am Jurgen Yoshirou Sanada."

"Don't be so humble. I'm just an old man." Musashi smiled as he bowed in kind.

"On the contrary, you were a great inspiration for me. Especially during my later years, I'd always remember your words in that PSA special. **The law is a gift to us, don't break it!** You helped me overcome my fear of the Yukari Law, and now I'm happily married."

As if on cue, a female with black eyes and neck-length pink hair styled into a bob haircut came in and held her husband.

"Is this Musashi Yamada? As in _the_ Sensei Kensei?"

"Yes he is dear!" Jurgen said proudly. "What about him?"

"He was my childhood hero! I often fantasized marrying him when I was a little girl." The woman mused before bowing. "It's so great to meet you, my name is Kaede Sanada!"

"Nice to meet you Missus Sanada." Musashi bowed once again.

Taro and Ayano stood back at witnessed all the formalties. It seemed Musashi really was a celebrity, as he saw the glow of admiration and enchantment on the eyes of these elders, meeting their role model for the first time. But he saw Yukari call him from another table together with his friends as he then called for Ayano to accompany him. They sat down with Taro seeing his other friends.

One was a young girl with short straight black hair, dark blue eyes and a fair complexion together with a glamorous and well-endowed figure. The second one was a young man with dark purple hair, dark purple eyes with long eyelashes and a fair complexion. His hair was longer on the front and had a small section of his bangs cover the root of his nose. These two were obviously just along for the ride.

But the last one was a girl with dark purple eyes and waist-length rosy blonde hair styled in a two-sided ponytail. She had a slim figure and was visibly the shortest among her friends. Taro could tell by her resemblance with the mother that she was the assigned wife of Yukari.

"So everyone, this is my second cousin, Taro Yamada and his good friend, Ayano Aishi." Yukari introduced before turning to Taro and Ayano. "Taro, Aishi-san, these are my friends, Lilina Sanada."

"Hi!" Lilina said cheerily.

"Misaki Takasaki." Yukari said while gesturing to the black haired girl.

"Nice to meet you!" Misaki waved kindly.

"And Yūsuke Nisaka."

"Hey." Yūsuke greeted impassively.

"So…" Taro trailed off while grabbing a seat for himself. "You two are coming with us to the camping trip then hot springs vacation."

"Only because this idiot begged me to come." Yūsuke rolled his eyes.

"I thought it would be fun!" Misaki replied sunnily.

Taro felt responsible as the eldest one, being the one in charge as he was a year older than Ayano. He then asked Lilina.

"So you are Yukari's arranged fiancee, am I correct?"

"Y-Yes…" Lilina shyly replied.

"Well Lilina, you look a bit foreign for a person with a Japanese surname." Taro observed.

"I-I'm actually 1/4 German."

"Oh? No wonder you look European!" Taro exclaimed. _"Kannst du Deutsch sprechen?"_

The others stared in shock at Taro's change in language, but Lilina seemed to understand.

"I-I'm sorry… I don't really speak German." Lilina replied embarrassingly.

"Oh it's fine, I just happened to know someone from Germany, so I'd thought the same would apply to you."

"You can speak German?" Yukari asked with awe, leaning forward with interest. "Where did you learn?"

"I'm self-taught, I am a multilingual speaker, so I can speak German, French, English and even Latin."

"Really? That's amazing!" Yukari exclaimed, with his eyes sparkling. "How much did you self-teach yourself?"

"Mostly western languages, though I do know a bit of Jōmon language from a few kofuns I've visted."

"You've been to kofuns!?" Yukari asked out loud. "How!? Where!?"

"I've been to a few excavations, usually to learn more about history." Taro mused, remembering when he used to visit kofuns back in Myre, dated even longer before the Faction War.

"So then—"

"So _before_ Yukari loses his mind with Taro's knowledge about kofuns." Yūsuke interrupted. "Let's change the subject."

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask." Misaki said while raising a hand. "Aishi-san, Yamada-kun, what's it like in Buraza?"

"Fairly quiet and peaceful. Even with the rise in crime, it's still serene and—"

"I don't think that's what they're asking." Taro clarified.

Both shared a glance, before Ayano's eyes widened as she realized what Taro meant. Ayano then turned back to the younger group of teens, who seemed interested to hear what they had to say.

"I don't… know. School seems to go about normally, though students seem a lot happier with their freedom to choose."

"But how about you Aishi-san?" Lilina asked.

Taro could see that Ayano struggled to find an answer.

"Ayano's had bad experience, so I wouldn't suggest asking her." Taro explained.

"O-Oh… Sorry for asking…" Lilina apologized.

"It's fine." Ayano impassively replied.

"So how about you then, Taro?" Yukari asked with interest.

"Well, I just live life normally. I really don't bother with relationships." Taro shrugged.

"But you've had your first kiss or something like that right?" Lilina asked. "With the freedom to choose, there must have been _some_ girl you liked."

Taro then remembered his moment with Charlotte in the hospital room when her memories were lost. He remembered the _voluntary_ kiss he gave her out of pity. Though it was a pity kiss, it was still a kiss nonetheless. But Taro remembered another incident that could be considered as his first kiss.

* * *

" _Are you finished packing?" Ayano asked while putting the bag over the shoulder._

" _Yes I am!" Taro replied while walking up to Ayano. "I didn't think I'd receive the honor of visiting your home, let alone the home village of the Shinobi clan."_

" _Well don't get too excited now." Ayano said while approaching Taro. "We'll rendezvous with my family at the gate before we—"_

 _Strangely inattentive of the Shinobi, she tripped over a rock and fell forward and knocked down Taro. Taro could feel her lips fall against his as he didn't know what to do. However, Ayano quickly gets off Taro frantically. Both stared at each other, with both red with embarrassment. Ayano then quickly gathered her things and stood up, turning her back on Taro._

" _W-We make no mention of this."_

 _Taro only dumbly nodded, as he had not seen this emotional side of Ayano, especially since she was usually cold and distant with other people. What made him so special?_

* * *

Taro visibly blushed as his face reddened, catching Ayano's attention. Taro glanced a bit at Ayano before replying.

"No. I didn't have mine yet." Taro said as calmly as he could.

" _Lies."_ Ayano thought as her aura began to darken. _"Who could be the bitch tempting him?"_

"Are you sure?" Lilina asked disappointedly. "You seem a bit flustered right now."

"R-Really?" Taro asked while looking at his reflection through his cellphone. "It's nothing I guess."

Taro then glanced at Ayano, who tilted her head in curiosity. He immediately turned his head and scooted away.

"So Taro, what's it like living with Mister Musashi." Misaki said while resting her face on her hand. "I heard that he was coming so I was really curious about his personal life, being a celebrity and all."

"He never told it to me. I actually only learned of his celebrity status just today." Taro replied while leaning back. "It seems to me that he isn't so keen on telling me about his celebrity life."

"Really? Not even a piece of Hikari no Senshi memorabilia?"

"His house is absent of such items, though he still enjoys his kendo, like me." Taro added. "But most of the time, we just have civil discussions over some tea."

"Geez, you both sound like old men." Yukari commented.

"Okay, so is everyone ready?" A woman, who Taro recognized as Yukari's mother, Chisato. She was also holding on to Yukari's little sister, Kizuna.

"Yes ma'am." Taro said while showing his bag.

"Oh you! Just call me oba-san." Chisato said while glancing at both Taro and Ayano. "You and your friend will be seating with your grandfather. He seems a bit overwhelmed with the attention he's getting from the other adults."

"Okay." Taro nodded as he stood up and gestured for Ayano to follow.

Taro could see Musashi in the middle of a conversation with Yuuji and Jurgen. Musashi saw Taro waiting as he realized.

"Oh Taro, it's almost time to board the train."

"Yes, let's continue our conversation on the train." Yuuji added in.

"Actually, I'll be seating with my grandson and his friend." Musashi said while bowing. "We will continue this once we disembark."

Taro saw disappointment on the adults' faces, presumably because they wanted to talk more to their childhood hero about his glory days as Sensei Kensei. Musashi, Taro, and Ayano went ahead to the train, seeing thaat it was already there, waiting for them. The foreman directed Musashi into the train and into his seat, together with Taro and Ayano sitting across Musashi. Taro looked to his left to see that Ayano dozed off, but he also saw that Musashi surprisingly looked relieved, even hearing an audible sigh from the old man. Taro couldn't hold his curiosity as he then remarked.

"Well you sound relieved." Taro observed.

Musashi looked surprised for a moment, before relaxing and giving a tired smile.

"You could say that."

"I trust that it has something to do with all this Sensei Kensei nonsense?" Taro inquired further.

"Yes." Musashi admitted.

"Why did you not inform me of your former celebrity status? I understand the need for privacy, but I feel that there is something much deeper to it."

Musashi frowned and sighed, staring out the window as the train began to move.

"I don't usually say this, but I hated playing as Sensei Kensei."

"Well, that's understandable, actors do sometimes hate their roles out of crisis of identit—"

"No, that's not it." Musashi explained, before sighing. "As I expected, no one even remembered my sidekick in the show."

"Sidekick?" Taro questioned.

"Nobushi Neesan, the female lead in the show, wielded the naginata and was played by Uchiyama Mari, debuted in 1971."

Another reference to the Nobushi class. This was getting stranger and stranger. She even had the naginata of the normal Nobushi.

"What is it about this Nobushi Neesan that's so important to you?" Taro asked.

"Her actor was a good friend of mine, we had met in high school and became inseparable since." Musashi explained. "When I had landed a spot as an actor in Hikari no Senshi, I had begged her incessantly to be my costar in the show."

Musashi's eyes had a specific twinkle in his eyes, as he began to look back at the olden days.

"We were a pair unrivaled in television history. No one could stop us. We quickly became the best team in the show, and no episode was complete without us."

Taro could see that Musashi had really valued his good friend and costar, but that did not explain why Musashi hated the show. Taro simply decided to be quiet and continued to listen to Musashi.

"Fast forward five years, and Mari and I were closer than ever. We had already been dating, so I decided that it was time to tie the knot, and of course, she accepted."

Taro nodded at that, he remembered little of his grandmother back in his world, except for the fact that she died early and was a Nobushi, quite the coincidence there.

"Everything went well from there. Our first child was on the way, and the show was giving the both of us the finances we needed. Until…"

Taro saw Musashi's face darken, his expression showing grief and anxiety.

"On the day my wife was to give birth to our second child, she contracted a terminal illness. The doctors tried their best but could only save my son."

Taro could see that Musashi was still coping with his wife's death, but he still could not see what it had to do with hating his acting role.

"But did the studio didn't even care. Within a week, I was scheduled with a new costar. They didn't want to kill off Nobushi Neesan, so they hired a new actor for her. That's when I left. They treated my wife's death like a minor setback for their money-making scheme of a show. The show cheapened my wife's dignity and I hated that. I would always remember the show as something that insulted the memory of my wife. So that's why I despise the show. Even now, my children have yet to know my role."

Taro nodded again, so he left out of anger. His wife was not acknowledged and he felt like she was cheapened by how the show handled her death. That was understandable. It did parallel how his grandfather left the military, despite his legendary status. But his thoughts were interrupted by the door opening, and a stewardess peeking inside.

"Hello?"

"Yes?" Taro asked.

"Er, yes. Mister Taro Yamada, there's been a complication with the seat assignment, so I'm afraid you must transfer to another area."

"Um, okay." Taro said while slowly standing up and bringing his bag.

"Also, you might have to share a seat with a stranger passenger, is that okay?"

"That's fine." Taro said while walking down the aisle, before seeing a familiar sight.

Before him, was a foreign woman, slightly taller than him, with hazel eyes a shapely figure, and a fairly large bust, together with dirty blonde hair tied into a ponytail. Taro paled as he saw the woman, who had also gone white as soon as she saw him. They both stared at each other before both screamed in unison.

"YOU'RE HERE TOO!?"

* * *

Taro was seated with Yukari and his other friends, though he did not bother to look at them, sulking and refusing to even look at Charlotte. Charlotte sits quietly and tried to act normal as she also avoided eye contact with Taro. Yukari and his friends felt pressured by the awkward silence, as Yukari took the lead with the conversation.

"So Taro, care to introduce us to your friend here?"

"How do you know Charlotte anyway?" Lilina questioned.

"You know her?" Yūsuke asked with surprise.

"Of course I do! Charlotte's my second cousin. Her father, Heinz Weber is cousins with my dad."

"So this is the family you were talking about." Yukari said while glancing at Charlotte. "So Charlotte, how do you know Taro?"

"You could say that we've met." Charlotte answered curtly.

"Not on the best of terms to be specific." Taro coldly clarified.

"Wait, so you two dated then?" Lilina questioned.

"Nothing like that Lily." Charlotte kindly pointed out. "We've just had some bad history."

"We just tend to get into a lot of fights." Taro added.

"So Charlotte, you're also German I take it?" Misaki asked. "What kind of hobbies do you have?"

"Oh, I just do humanitarian work and martial arts! Taro and I practice swordsmanship in our free time."

"She's a good fighter, good form and footwork. She's beaten me plenty." Taro admitted, before turning to Charlotte. "But Charlotte, why are _you_ here exactly?"

"Well, my father decided to send me on this vacation rather than joining him, as he believed the hot springs would soothe my ease from that incident a few days back."

"Where's Bjorn?"

"He'll catch up sooner or later." Charlotte replied.

Taro and Charlotte seemed to be on the same wavelength, as the group seemed stunned by how Taro and Charlotte referred to each other.

"Are you sure you two aren't dating?" Lilina asked abruptly.

Both immediately glanced at Lilina right after hearing that query.

"I'm quite sure that we're not romantically involved. Why do you ask?" Taro questioned.

"Well, you two seem like a really good couple for some reason, so I'm just wondering why you don't like each other."

Taro and Charlotte faced each other before Taro averted his gaze and said.

"It's complicated."

"Aw, you still haven't gotten over that?" Charlotte asked with a hint of mock disappointment.

"You and I both know we're never getting along." Taro retorted.

"That's up to you." Charlotte said while folding her arms. "You're the one rejecting my offer of kindness."

"Wait, Charlotte." Lilina interrupted. "Have you ever had a boyfriend before?" Lilina asked.

"Knowing her, she probably had plenty!" Yukari whispered to Yūsuke.

"Er, I never had a relationship in my life."

"WHAT!?"

"B-But you're so pretty and sweet and—" Lilina tried to rationalize.

"I don't think I'm ready for a relationship just yet." Charlotte shrugged. "I have plenty of other concerns to deal with."

"But aren't you excited for love?"

"There's more to life than love, and I'll find it when I can." Charlotte finalized. "Now let's talk about you and your husband, Yukari."

"M-Me and m-my husband?" Lilina asked nervously, her face turning red.

"Of course, I can't wait to hear what you have to say~"

Taro rolled his eyes, as he took a back seat with Charlotte having the more active conversation with the group.

* * *

Musashi looked around to see that no one was around. He opened a large bag, and searched through, before bringing out a giant curved sword, a no-dachi. He examines it a bit, before hearing a ring as he picked up the phone and answered.

"Hello? Yes. I brought the Orochi as you asked."

" _Good. Is the Warden there as well?"_

"Yes she is. The Warlord will be a bit late though."

" _That's fine. As long as we can gather them all soon. Which begs the question, have you told him yet?"_

"No, I still keep it from him, even losing to him on purpose in some occasions." Musashi replied.

" _Well don't hide it forever. He needs to know that there are others out there."_

"I won't. How's the search for the Aramusha?" Musashi asked out of topic.

" _We've received reports of a new boy in the provinces with unnatural sword skill. But don't concern yourself with that, the Orochi and Warden are our prime concerns. Got it?"_

"Got it." Musashi replied. "I'll be meeting with Aurelius and Douglas in the Hot Springs Hotel."

" _Okay, good luck."_

Musashi closed the phone and glanced up and down the no-dachi, before wondering.

" _Is he really ready for the truth?"_ Musashi questioned.

* * *

 **And that's that! The Vacation Arc goes on!**


	12. Q&A Announcement

"What the hell are you opening?" Taro sleepily complained while searching for the noise of the plastic bag.

"Fan mail. Tons of people send me love each year and I happened to receive another bunch." Charlotte said while looking at the address. "Some of them are even directed towards you and Yan-chan, who knew?"

"Wait, let me see that!"

* * *

 **Q &A Session for Orochi-senpai live for the 1-2 week hiatus. If you want to ask Taro, Ayano, or Charlotte a question, then leave a review or PM directed towards them!**


	13. Chapter 10: Q&A Part 1

**So here's the Q &A Part 1! I had to choose some questions because some were too weird, and others were too inappropriate (BDSM & threesome, really?). So I have chosen only a handful of APPROPRIATE questions.**

* * *

"Taro! I've finished showering!" Charlotte called while wiping her hair with a towel and stepping out

"Remind me again why I have to stay in **your** suite?"

"Because your relatives didn't have the decency to reserve you an extra room." Charlotte said smugly while walking to the closet. "I'm just being generous."

"I'd rather sleep on the cold hard ground than share a room with you." Taro snarled.

"There's the balcony if you want!" Charlotte said while pointing to the balcony, just as lightning flashed.

Taro fell silent at that as Charlotte grinned and added.

"I thought so." Charlotte said while entering the closet. "By the way, where's Ayano?"

"She said she was making a phone call." Taro shrugged. "I believe she's looking for better signal."

"Well okay then. Do you want to take a shower while waiting?" Charlotte asked. "Would help if you didn't smell like sweat."

"It was a long day, what do you expect?" Taro barked while grabbing a towel. "I bet you tin cans reek of rust, iron, and sweat."

"Not anymore." Charlotte said while exiting the closet in her pajamas, a light blue t-shirt and black leggings. "I think I smell rather pleasant."

Charlotte twirled her hair to let her scent get through the room, irritating Taro.

"So samurai, how do I smell?"

"You reek of delicacy and fragility." Taro replied with a snarky tone. "I miss the iron and rust smell already."

"I thought so." Charlotte said with amusement before plopping onto her futon and grabbing her bag.

Truth be told, Charlotte smelled really good. Her hair smelled sweet, Taro recognized the floral fragrance of it, likely from _sakura_ or cherry blossom scented shampoo. Her newly showered smell was very sweet and alluring, and Taro hated the fact that he was liking it. He wouldn't dare admit that Charlotte actually smelled nice, so he covered his nose to protect it from the scent of her body.

"Well, you're certainly showing your dislike." Charlotte remarked with amusement.

"I'm gonna take that shower now." Taro groaned while heading into the bathroom, before freezing and covering his nose. "Bah! This whole bathroom reeks of you!"

"Then wear a mask, I don't care. My family owns this whole hotel, so you better be playing nice."

"Gah! Fine" Taro grumbled while stepping inside.

Taro closed the door before he took off his clothes. He couldn't bear the scent of Charlotte in the bathroom and hoped to make it quick. He grabbed a face mask and put it on his face. Charlotte on the other hand, took out a bag and searched through it.

" _While Taro is in the shower, I might want to answer some fan mail."_

Charlotte took out her laptop and booted it up. She turned on the webcam and then cleared her throat before saying.

"Hi everyone! It's me, CharlotteTheWarden with another live Q&A session! You guys have been hearing about the recent turnabouts in my life, such as my move to Japan and meeting new people, and I knew you all had some questions! So I have all the fan mail here, and I'll be reading them one by one! But first, let me check the chat!"

 **Drew94: OMG, are you in a suite!?**

 **MrPericope: You're so cute in your pajamas**

 **GladToBeShad: i should be doing homework XD**

Charlotte took out her first letter, and read it out loud.

" _From: R3DInfinity_

 _I honestly want to know why you'd prefer the peasant stomping Bretonnians over the glorious perfection that is Karl Franz's Empire. I mean sure the Bretonnians have the Lady and the Green Knight but I thought you would be with the Empire for the slight Germanic roots if not for the Carroburg Greatsword regiment. I would demand satisfaction for such an upset but my legs have reminded me that I'm an armchair general not a hippogryph rider. Anyway i'll be waiting for your answer and hoping you don't suddenly go off looking for that magical drinking cup the Lady hoards."_

Charlotte giggled for a bit before answering.

"I am of German descent, but being a knights fan, I actually like the Bretonnians a little more. I _love_ Arthurian legend, and Bretonnia is the closing thing I will get. I don't take the oppression of peasants seriously because Bretonnia is literally a parody of feudalism. I like playing Bretonnia because it makes a mockery of the feudal system and chivalry. Bretonnia just gives me better laughs than the stiff Empire. I also like dressing up as the Lady of the Lake sometimes. I may be Imperial by blood, but I am Bretonnian at heart. Next one."

" _From: RedRat8_

 _To Charlotte, have you ever considered any kind of relationship with Taro besides sitcom nemesis?"_

"Taro and I share a bitter rivalry that has a long history behind it. Neither of us are willing to forget and forgive. Circumstance simply forces us to play nice with it each other. I'm just a _little_ more willing to let bygones be bygones."

"Let bywhat?" Taro spoke up from the back.

Charlotte turned to see a shirtless Taro behind her, dressing into his t-shirt and pants. He was still wearing his face mask so his face couldn't be seen.

"Nothing, I'm just answering why we're always enemies when a large amount of people believe that we can get along."

"Is that a camera?" Taro wondered while staring at the laptop screen. "Whoa, what's this moving text?"

"Taro! Get off the screen, you're covering the camera!" Charlotte barked, before laughing nervously. "So yeah, this is the guy I've been telling you about. He's wearing a mask to protect his privacy. Right Taro?"

Taro noticed Charlotte's subtle glare and simply nodded. He then proceeded to put on his shirt and nodded at her to go on.

"So let's check that chat shall we?" Charlotte smiled while looking at the chat.

 **sansfan4000: who's he? ;)**

 **Pixiegrill: OMG, his body is so perfect!** 😍 **WHY AREN'T YOU TWO DATING!?** 😫

 **FishyTrixie: Oooh! I have some questions for your little Asian friend too!**

Taro grimaced under his mask. The people who were commenting were making absolutely dreadful comments. He felt like he was getting dumber seeing these emojis and superficial side comments.

"So, now that Taro is here, let's read some of the questions for him!"

" _From: RedRat8_

 _To Taro, might I ask why is it you hate Knights in general? To Charloote, have you remembered anything since the day you lost your memories? Have you ever wanted to fall in love with Taro? Are you interested in wondering what he did for you during your lost memory time? Is it too much to ask that I think you and Taro make a very adorable couple? Have you two ever noticed the way you act is like an old married couple?"_

"So Taro, what do you make of this?" Charlotte asked.

"First, my reasons for hating knights are absolutely private. No one, I repeat. NO ONE, has the right of knowing. It's completely personal, and I will not discuss it further."

"Looks like I touched a nerve there." Charlotte chuckled before adding. "This may not be the best time to say this, but I remembered everything from the time I lost my memory."

"You what!?" Taro said as his face turned red.

"Yeah… Turns out my amnesiac persona's memories have been recurring in my dreams." Charlotte shrugged, before smirking. "That was one hell of a smooch there lover boy~"

"B-But how—"

"It's a really complicated psychological process, so I'll just save you the trouble and just say that I am not angry at you for kissing me."

"W-Why?"

"I can clearly tell it was a pity kiss." Charlotte winked. "You just wanted my amnesiac self to enjoy it before you brought my memories back."

"I hate you." Taro huffed.

"Of course you do." Charlotte dismissed with a giggle. "But people seem to ship us together regardless of our differences. In fact, I think our arguments are actually making people ship us more."

"What!? That's dumb!"

"It's common among fans so I suggest you get used to it." Charlotte shrugged before rummaging through the bag. "Let's find a more serious question. Ah! Here's a good one!"

" _From: The Teletrap_

 _Since you and Taro are swordfighters, master in HEMA and kenjutsu respectively,_

 _What warrior do you hate fighting the most? Either sparring or in battle."_

"Hmmm…" Taro pondered, while scratching his chin. "Centurion, definitely Centurion. That damned Roman boxer is the bane of my existence."

"Why so?"

"That stupid punch and kick. Every time I get properly parried, I just get fisted in the face while shatters my ribs with his earth-shattering kick, before getting stabbed in the face and then punched to the floor. And just when I think it's over he just pounces on me and stabs again to rub the salt in."

"Whoah, okay. Guess Centurion really is tough." Charlotte expressed in amusement. "I'd have to say Kensei."

"Him? Why?"

"Not that I can't beat them, but they're always so quick on their feet. I have a hard time keeping track of Kensei because they're very good with their feints. I can't count how many times I've nearly lost due to the fact that I fell for their feints."

"So you're weak to feints?"

"Not anymore. Orochi feints are nothing compared to Kensei feints, so I doubt that you'd beat me with that knowledge in mind."

"Why you…" Taro growled.

"Next question!" Charlote sang out.

" _From: Anonymous_

 _To Taro and Charlotte,_

 _From what you have learned, is there any warriors from the past that you would be interested on meeting or dueling?"_

"Interesting!" Charlotte remarked. "I have been following history for some time and I haven't really thought about that!"

"Me neither. This world boasts a huge array of warriors outside of knights, vikings, and samurai." Taro remarked while stroking his chin. "I'm rather lost, so how about you go first Charlotte?"

"Oh okay! I was _really_ intrigued by so many that it was hard to choose. But if I had to choose my top three, I'd go with Spartans, Mongols, and Aztecs."

"Those three…" Taro remarked while scratching his head. "Why?"

"Spartans were raised from birth to be disciplined and unyielding warriors, it's no surprise that they are a warrior worth dueling." Charlotte said before drooling. "Especially after seeing that 300 movie… Those oiled up, chiseled bodies…"

"You're repulsive." Taro said while recoiling in disgust.

"Anyway," Charlotte trailed off while wiping her saliva. "Mongols are a fierce horde that rolled through Eastern Europe, I would be willing to bet that they are strong as well."

"What about those Aztecs?"

"They supposedly wear animal skins and use those animal spirits in battle. I'd want to face another barbaric culture that channels animals into its attacks. I heard they were even more barbaric than the Vikings, even sacrificing their own kin to please their gods."

"Well I learned a lot of valuables things today." Taro remarked with sarcasm. "I now know that Charlotte likes chiseled, oiled up men who show off their abs."

"Men like those are for ogling not romancing." Charlotte said. "I'm just enjoying the view."

"That doesn't make you any less disgusting." Taro added in with a scowl.

"Anyway, let's look at that chat!"

 **Drew94: Your friend is mean… 😡 But he's so cute when he's mad! 😊**

 **MrPericope: I'm loving the dynamic between you two! I'm feeling the heat! 💋**

 **GladToBeShad: Taro is so grumpy, it's adorable! 😍**

"So Taro, what warriors would you like to duel against?"

"So based on what I've read so far, I would want to fight against the Mamluks, Hashashin, Maori, and the Maharlika."

"I've heard of the first two, so tell me about them."

"I'm interested in the Mamluks because they have been portrayed as the ultimate enemy of the knights. They are also portrayed as agile and lethal warriors with curved swords, not that different from us samurai. So I would certainly want to duel one to test their merit."

"True, Mamluks with their scimitars are not that different from the samurai and their katana."

"Next, the Hashashin are eerily similar to the Shinobi, but the Hashashin were motivated by religion and faith rather than loyalty. It's more of a test of resolve. I want to see if religion and faith can greatly impact a person's combat performance."

"Hmm, interesting." Charlotte remarked. "But how about the Maori and Mahar-whatever."

"I was reading a book on South East Asia and Oceanian culture and I found some very interesting interesting warrior cultureS. The Maori wield strange, and terrifying wooden clubs, and their war dances are rather intimidating. I even heard that they eat their opponents' flesh after battle to gain their "aura". The Maori seem like a very frightening type of warrior I would certainly want to fight and their martial arts indicate that they have very good coordination."

"How about the last warrior?"

"The Maharlika caught my attention because his martial art is still very alive among a race known as "Filipinos". They seem to fight with top-heavy swords that are commonly used for chopping plants and wood. And their martial arts are interesting. They seemed to have fused hand-to-hand combat and weapons training so that one will be indistinguishable from the other. It's a fascinating training style that I want to test out for myself."

"Interesting. How about the Shaolin Monk?"

"Meh, Chinese doesn't really fascinate me. I prefer more unknown and underrated kinds of warriors. I've grown tired of the Western media glorifying a martial art that looked pretty standard in my eyes."

"Okay, how about some standard questions?"

 _From: ShadowofZama_

 _What are your favorite places (waterparks, parks,...)_

 _What is your favorite book and why?_

 _What is your favorite tv show and why?_

 _What is your favorite movie and why?_

 _What are your favorite movie, tv show and book genres?"_

"So Taro, answers?"

"I've only been here for a few weeks, but if I had to choose: Garden, Dojo, and Shrine for my favorite place since they are so serene and I can practice and meditate in peace. My favorite books so far are The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Genji Monogatori by Murasaki Shikubu, and Book of the Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi. I liked LOTR because I have never read such a comprehensive fantasy in my life, even the mythology I've read doesn't compare. Genji Monogatori because I very much enjoy the archaic Japanese literature, and Book of the Five Rings because I am a swordsman after all. I rarely watch television and most of the anime and dramas I've seen so far is stupid. I have yet to see a movie so far. I like Fantasy, Drama, and History so far."

"Well, my favorite places would be: Church, HEMA Training Center, and my room where I can pray, practice, and prepare myself. My favorite books are Blood for the Blood God by C.L. Werner, Skavenslayer by William King, and The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I like all three because they are fantasy, though I especially enjoy Mists of Avalon because I'm a sucker for Arthurian legend. My favorite tv show was Vikings, because it was a cool blend of history and drama that somehow made those barbarians interesting. I **loved** the 300 movie for obvious reasons. My preferred genres are Fantasy, History, and Drama."

"Okay, so are we done with the exposition?"

"Wait, there's another question."

 _"What is your favorite video game and video game genre?"_

"I don't play video games often, but Charlotte has been _endlessly_ trying to get me into her Total War games, she loves tactical and grand stratrgy games."

"You know it! I've played almost every era!" Charlotte proudly declared. "I even lent Shogun 2 to Taro!"

"I admit that Shogun 2 was probably my favorite game. But I really liked Mount & Blade so far." Taro added before glaring at Charlotte. "But I would love it even more if this bitch stops beating my ass at every game!"

"I'm a master, you can't possibly compare to me!"

"Oh we'll see! I'll keep practicing behind your back!" Taro declared. "I'll wipe that smug grin of your face tin can!"

"Okay, what's the next question?"

 _"_ _Taro in which sexy outfit(s) would you want to see Charlotte and Ayano? For example French maid outfit, see through pink nightdress, ordinary nightgown?"_

"Does a casket count?" Taro said with much snark while looking smugly at Charlotte.

"Very funny." Charlotte deadpanned.

"Anyway, I'm not the foreplay kind of person." Taro shrugged. "I don't really want women to wear sexy clothes just to arouse me, so this question is rather moot."

"How about this one then?" Charlotte asked.

 _"_ _Taro what do you like about the bodies of Ayano and Charlotte?_

 _Taro if you have to rate Ayano and Charlotte on looks from 1-10 with 0 being ugly and 10 being the best. What would you rate them?"_

"I'm not one for physical appearance, so that question is moot as well. But regarding the score, I'd give Charlotte a 4 out of charity, and Ayano an 8."

"Is this just going to be a talk session about how much you hate me?" Charlotte wondered.

"I'm okay with that." Taro shrugged.

"Okay!" Charlotte clapped while rummaging through the bag again. "Next question…"

"What are you doing?" Ayano asked while peeking through the door.

"Oh Yan-chan, you're here! How was the phone call?"

"I was able to contact my mother who is currently in the US." Ayano said with a smile.

"Hey Yan-chan! Come join us! The fans have some questions for you too!"

"R-Really? How much did you tell your fans about us?" Taro asked incredulously.

"Enough." Charlotte smiled. "Come on! I'll read one of the questions directed towards you."

Ayano took a seat between Charlotte and Taro and peeked at the letter in Charlotte's hands.

" _From: Anime-master1000_

 _To Ayano, what was your first thought when you saw Taro beating up those delinquents?_

 _And to Charlotte, have you had a fellow knight like Taro does with ninja Ayano? If so who and do we know him/her?"_

"So Ayano, what was running through your head?"

Ayano had no words to describe it. Her life had been complete darkness before she met Senpai. It dragged as usual. Though many wanted her back at her old school, she never reciprocated their love. There was always something missing in her life, until she was blessed with Taro's presence. It was like a light that shone in the darkness. She finally had a reason to go on, and it was all thanks to Senpai. The way he came in and defended her from those delinquents out of concern for her, she would never forget that.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the words to say it as she was simply caught in a trance. Charlotte and Taro stare at her for awhile before Charlotte broke the silence.

"Ooookay…" Charlotte trailed off. "While Ayano is coming up with her answer, I will answer the second question."

"So did you have any friends back at your world that existed in this world?"

"Well… yes! Technically…"

"What do you mean technically?" Taro asked.

"Taro, how old were you when you "died"?" Charlotte asked while making a quote sign.

"I was in my thirties when I died back in Myre."

"Well, I was well in my thirties, and I had… a sister."

"A sister? Where is she now?"

"Off on some shopping trip in Kyoto." Charlotte said while rolling her eyes. "We never were close in the first place, and I don't see it changing any time soon."

"Well okay then, is that all you got?"

"Here's another one:"

" _From: Shad7000_

 _Taro, who do you love most?"_

"Romance again?" Taro asked. "What's with these people?

"People are really interested to hear from the stud himself!" Charlotte quipped.

"For the record, I don't have any romantic partner in my life. I fell in love once and that was it."

" _Who could Taro have loved before?"_ Ayano wondered as she was visibly disturbed by that.

"You're no fun." Charlotte said while grabbing another letter. "A few more questions before we take a break."

 _"Ayano what do you like to wear? What sort of outfit makes you comfortable?_

 _Charlotte what do you like to wear? What sort of outfit makes you comfortable?_

 _Ayano and Charlotte what are your bra sizes?"_

"Yan-chan?" Taro asked.

"I just wear what others think is good." Ayano added. "Especially if it's you Senpai."

"Oookay..." Taro trailed off with a grimace before asking Charlotte. "How about you?"

"If I'm just going around, I'd wear jeans and a cardigan. If not, blouses are the way to go. If the event is formal, I'd wear a beautiful gown or dress of my choosing. When it comes to sleeping time, I really like wearing yoga pants, leggings, and t-shirts. They're just comfortable. I use a sports bra and shorts for my exercise."

"How about your cup sizes?" Taro asked before pointing to Charlotte. "I'm betting that you're a C."

"Actually, it only looks like a C from the outside. But I'm actually a little in between D cup and E cup. My bra was just specially made to hide it since I tend to attract a lot of attention, and also because it gets in the way during training and fights."

"Ooookay... I didn't need to know that, Ayano?"

"C cup..."

"Don't be so shy about it. Look at the bright side." Taro comforted before whispering. "Just be happy that you're not Madam Thunderbreasts over there."

"Madam Thunderbreasts can hear you~" Charlotte sang, which caused Taro to freeze. "Have anything smart to say Taro?"

"N-No." Taro replied shakily.

"Good! Next question!"

 _"From: gold crown dragon_

 _A simple question for Taro, what is your 'type'?"_

"Hmm, I don't have a fixed image of an ideal girl so I would not really say I have a type." Taro shrugged. "But I usually prefer gentle, sweet girls who are also affectionate. After what I've been through, I could use a little more warmth."

"Awww… That's sweet!" Charlotte said while grabbing Taro and hugging him.

"Bah! Get off me you damned lady! I'd take any woman but you!" Taro said while forcefully releasing himself from Charlotte's grasp. "Just move on to the next damn question so that I can finally sleep!"

"Last question before we end the stream!"

" _From: Krylsten_

 _I'm curious. If you two had met each other without the memories of the Knights, Samurai, and the Faction War, how well would you have gotten along?"_

"Ummm… I mean, if I ever forgot my hatred towards the Knights…" Taro trailed off. "I would be fairly friendly to Charlotte."

"Same here. And since you all saw my amnesiac self, you'll find that Taro and I have a lot in common."

Ayano inwardly flared up at that.

"Thank goodness I never lost my memories then."

"Ouch." Charlotte said with mock hurt. "Well let's put an end to this for now, we'll answer the rest tomorrow."

"Fine by me." Taro said while tucking himself in. "I wanted to sleep anyway."

Charlotte clapped and turned off the suite lights. All of them tucked into their futons and had pleasant dreams. But somehow, they all moved closer to each other. As they slept, Ayano sleep-crawled her way next to Taro, with Charlotte sleep-crawling to Taro's side. It ended up with Taro sleeping in between the two ladies.

* * *

 **I haven't answered all your questions because I am still sifting through the sea of reviews and PMs.**


	14. Chapter 11: Q&A Final

**Here's the last Q &A for now!**

* * *

Taro sighed as he lied down under the umbrella. This beach day was really relaxing. The waves crashing peacefully onto the sands. The cool breeze brushing against his face as he relaxed against the beach mat. Deciding to go to the

" _Ah, this is rather relaxing… No grades, no school, no training. Just some peace and quiet…"_

"Hey Taro!" Charlotte called out.

"Ugh…" Taro groaned while sitting up from his position to look at Charlotte. "What?"

Charlotte stood there in front of him with her arms crossed, wearing a blue blouse with a yellow sun hat.

"What's with the scowl?" Charlotte asked. "I was just wondering why you left the room so early."

"I needed a break. That's all." Taro growled while lying down again.

"Well don't rain on my parade." Charlotte quipped while heading towards the water. "I'm going to enjoy myself."

"Just go already—" Taro snapped before seeing Charlotte take off her blouse revealing a bathing suit under. The sheer shock of her voluptuous figure in the bathing suit nearly made Taro's eyes pop out of his head. It also caused many bystanders to stare at Charlotte as she entered the water in a graceful manner.

"The water's fine!" Charlotte shouted as she swam around at the shore. "Sure you don't want to come?"

"Just screw off already!" Taro shouted before lying back down.

"Suit yourself!" Charlotte replied before beginning to dive into the water.

Taro just lied down, pretending not to notice Charlotte swimming. He also had to ignore the multiple jealous stares of the male bystanders who were mesmerized by Charlotte's beauty. As he lied down, he began to doze off he noticed a few more people join him as he sat up and saw Yukari and his friends set up their place, together with Ayano at the back.

"Since when were you here?"

"Oh we just arrived now!" Yukari said while setting up the food. "Want some?"

"Sure!" Taro said while standing up and getting food. "So Yukari, how have you been doing so far?"

"Good, my friends and I are getting settled nicely!" Yukari replied with enthusiasm. "How about you and Charlotte and Ayano?"

"Sleeping with them is awkward at best, I can't wait for some me time." Taro groaned. "Where'd Ayano come from?"

"She was prowling around the room when I came in so I just invited her to join us."

"Okay then, let's eat!" Taro said while rubbing his hands together.

"Hey let me join!"

Taro and company looked to see Charlotte in her scarlet red bathing suit, whipping her hair back as Taro grit his teeth and looked away. The others were just completely shocked to see her as she approached the group. Yukari was blushing in embarrassment while Yusuke just stared at her in awe.

"What?" Charlotte asked.

"Ain't it obvious Madam Thunderbreasts?" Taro sulked before feeling his ear get pulled.

"What did you say?" Charlotte threatened subtly while pulling his ear

"Nothing!" Taro pouted while ignoring the ear pull. "I didn't say crap!"

"Hmph! Fine then!" Charlotte huffed proudly. "Your insults are all hot air anyway!"

"What the hell did you just say bitch!?" Taro snarled. "You want to go at it now!?"

"Oh of course we can just do a normal sword fight, but I'm sure you won't be able to beat me at my own game!"

"What is it? Chess? Shogi? Wrestling? Name it and your on!"

"Well… If you insist!" Charlotte smirked.

* * *

"FUCKING TOTAL WAR!?" Taro screamed in horror as he looked at the computer room. "You know I'm terrible at this!"

"Oh quit being such a baby!" Charlotte said dismissively. "You challenged me and I got the benefit of choosing the challenge!"

"I can barely work a normal computer much less play a game!" Taro protested.

"So you admit defeat then?" Charlotte grinned triumphantly.

"Grrrrr…" Taro growled while thinking his next course of action. "Fine! But I won't lose so easily!"

"Okay then!" Charlotte said enthusiastically. "Now choose your faction and let's get started!"

Taro looked at the screen. The game title was **Medieval 2: The Oestian Crusade** , which looked far more different than the previous games Taro played. He was curious about this spinoff.

"I haven't seen this Total War title before."

"This a mod that I hired someone to make based on a novel I've read!" Charlotte said while opening up the menu. "It's called **In the Midst of Ashes** and features a heavily competitive fantasy world where various humans, monsters, and beasts compete for supremacy!"

"What are the factions I can choose?"

"Well, for humans, you have the **Duchy of Amelborough** , it boasts high quality infantry, missile, artillery, and cavalry units. It's downside is that it's relatively balanced and does not boast any specialization. So other factions are bound to have better units. Next is the **Chiefdom of Norsku** , who boasts good infantry, missile, and monster units—"

"Monster units?"

"Giant beasts of battle. Anyway, Norsku has a good roster of infantry, missile and monster units, but really falls short in cavalry and artillery."

"Next ones?"

" **Clans of Shenkitaiyo** , boasts good infantry, missile, and cavalry, but really fallsshort in monster and cavalry. This would probably be your faction since they're the most samurai-like."

"Ugh…" Taro groaned while sitting down at the screen. "So I'll go with the **Clans of Shenkitaiyo**. And for my general, I'll go with **Chinatsu Uemaru."**

"Okay! So I'll be the **Duchy of Amelborough** , with my general being **Kuristina von Holland**. Fun fact, she's actually Chinatsu's daughter in the lore."

"I don't care, let's just get into it."

"Suit yourself. Do you want to sweeten the deal?"

"Name your price."

"Simple. I win, you do me a favor. You win, I do you a favor. Deal?"

"Deal." Taro said while readying himself for the game.

* * *

Taro was in control of his army for now. His general was moving shortly through the forests with her naginata division. He had his horse archers run through the battlefield and continuously pelt the enemy with arrows. His only problem was Charlotte pelting the battlefield with artillery shots, he was bound to get hit at some point so he needed to make it quick. He moves up his samurai army armed with katanas to try and take down her artillery, but they are blocked by a line of pikes.

"Could you stop turtling so much!?"

"It's a valid strategy!" Charlotte shouted back.

* * *

Taro grit his teeth as he then moved his general unit to the flanks of Charlotte's line, but he is stopped by Charlotte's army, which was composed of her general unit. Charlotte sighed and kicked back on her chair.

"Damn, it's a general vs general fight. This is gonna take a while."

"So what do we do while waiting?" Taro asked.

"We just answer more questions!" Charlotte said while taking out the bag and rummaging through it. "There's still a few more left for you and I!"

"Well, I don't have anything better to do, so lay it onto me."

" _From: Austin_

 _What would you name someone who has mastered all the fighting styles of all 18 warriors, 6 from each faction and more if possible from other cultures."_

"A god." Taro snorted. "It takes nearly a lifetime to simply master one weapon. Or a Mary Sue, but that would mean I'd have to compare her to Charlotte."

"You think I'm a Mary Sue?"

"How are you not? Great looks, great personality, great wealth, great friends. Tell me one flaw of yours and I'll reconsider."

"Uh…"

"I'm _waiting_ …" Taro smirked.

"A-Anyway… Someone who has mastered all the warrior fighting styles isn't too far off." Charlotte said while putting on a thinking pose. "But you would need insane potential to reach that level. And such a person wouldn't be so interesting, just really overpowered. So yeah, I'd guess he would be a Mary Sue."

"Next question."

" _To taro and charlotte what are your thoughts of the Godzilla movie specifically the 1954 one."_

"I never really saw that movie." Charlotte commented.

"It's a good movie that preaches the consequences of weapons of mass destruction. In some ways, our world has it better. At least we don't have to live under constant threat of obliteration."

"I'll make sure to check that movie." Charlotte said while searching for another letter.

" _To Charlotte ever watched Monty python and the holy grail."_

"Watched it? I'm a HUGE fan of Monty Python! His satire and humor get me every time I watch his skits!" Charlotte gushed. "I particularly loved _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_. Gosh, that parody of Arthurian legend will forever be one of my favorite films."

"I can tell."

"It's just so funny!" Charlotte laughed a bit. "Especially the Black Knight and the literal cop-out ending! Man, I will never laugh that hard ever again."

"Yeah sure." Taro said while rolling his eyes.

"Next question!"

" _To Charlotte and taro ever heard of this band called sabaton they make some really good war or battle music concerning knights, samurai, and Vikings."_

"I've heard their songs, while really loud and rough, they have very good lyrics." Charlotte added. "I particularly grew fond of The Last Stand and Winged Hussars!"

"Hmph! Sabaton's a really good band! I never knew I liked such rough music until I heard the song Shiroyama!"

"Pfft, their knight-related songs are clearly better!"

"You wanna fight on that?" Taro growled.

"Yes!" Charlotte said before returning to the computer. "The general's are almost done fighting!"

Taro immediately returned to watch Chinatsu and Kuristina go at it. Chinatsu swings her naginata a bit before using her fingers to taunt over Kuristina. Kuristina pulls out a crossbow and shoots Chinatsu, but Chinatsu dodges. Kuristina then draws her longsword and runs in to fight. The fight was at a relative stalemate for now, so Charlotte and Taro returned to their seats.

"So, last questions for Taro."

" _From: RoninBlade-27_

 _For taro: what is your though about sengoku jidai of the world you live in right now, and what is your origin?"_

"Well, it's really fascinating. The most romanticized part of samurai history that had little to do with actual samurai fighting. I've played so much Total War: Shogun 2 and I couldn't believe that I couldn't even hire samurai at the start. Just some peasant warriors at first. Then guns came along, and then I realized that the samurai were practically useless at that point. I've won campaigns with only peasant army compositions."

"*cough* On Easy mode! *cough*" Charlotte coughed.

"Anyway…" Taro said with clenched teeth. "Yes, it's really too long for me to say now. So I'll probably just elaborate on it sooner."

"How about the second part?"

"So yes, I am an Orochi, a spy for the Emperor to be exact. Back home, when I was an adult, I was part of the secret police that made sure no one spies on us. I've done many tailings and chases of attempted spies and all of them have come out successful."

" _Who are your favorite shinsengumi members?"_

"Never heard of them." Taro yawned. "I've only studied Sengoku jidai, so I'll need to expand on my post-Shogunate knowledge."

* * *

"Okay, now that we're done with the questions…" Charlotte trailed off while turning to the computer. "Let's get back to the game!"

Taro was watching Kuristina and Chinatsu go at it. So far, Chinatsu was winning, using her superior agility to get strikes while dodging Kuristina's crossbow shots. It was looking good so far. Chinatsu and Kuristina then clashed with their weapons. Kuristina overpowers her and subdues her weapon. She then reaches into her pocket and pulls out a gun. She points it at Chinatsu's head and pulls the trigger, killing her.

Taro was left shocked by this as he saw the rest of his army rout after Chinatsu died.

"W-What?"

"Kuristina comes with a huge set of weapons, and she can use them any time she wants."

"That's unfair! She's overpowered!"

"Anyway, now you owe me a favor." Charlotte said while standing up. "Come, follow me to the balcony."

"Can we make this quick?" Taro groaned.

"It won't take long." Charlotte said while suddenly grabbing Taro's hand and bringing him out to the hotel balcony. From there, they could see the beautiful view of the ocean, of the forest, of the people running around and having fun. Taro wondered why Charlotte brought him here, why did she want to talk to him?

"So Taro, do you know why I called you here?"

"This certainly isn't normal." Taro commented. "What do you want?"

"… When you brought back my memories, what did you think was going to happen?"

"Well, you were just going to forget the whole thing about me being your savior and that things would go back the way they were." Taro said without hesitation. "Though your subconscious memories seem to prove that wrong."

"Well Taro, I don't think you know the full story of it, because in a way, you failed to get rid of my amnesia."

"In what way?"

"The way you will despise the most…" Charlotte sighed while blushing, turning her face pink. "When you… brought back my memories. My… feelings never went away."

Taro was not sure if he was hearing her correctly.

"Your… feelings?"

"Infatuation, crush, love, you name it. You never got rid of them. They only transferred to my normal self… I think I still… love you…"

"Wait, how the hell did you know—"

"My behavior for the past few days hasn't been normal. I've been thinking about you more lately. Every time you call me, my heart skips a beat. Every time we're being friendly I feel like there are butterflies in my stomach. It's official, I'm still in love with you."

Taro froze for a bit before screaming.

"W-W-W-WHAT!?" Taro screamed in absolute anguish.

"You think you're in pain!? How about me!?" Charlotte screamed. "I have repressed feelings for YOU, out of all people! Do you think it's fun to act like a fool around you!?"

"B-But how!?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know!? It's just a feeling! I never wanted this to happen!"

"M-Maybe another strike to the head will do the trick!" Taro shakily said while preparing his hand.

"Like hell! You're not touching me!" Charlotte growled while stopping Taro's hand.

In their wrestle, Charlotte and Taro ended up being face to face. Charlotte and Taro stared at each other, a bit shocked at how they ended up like this. Charlotte then closed her eyes and went for a kiss, with Taro not resisting the kiss this time. It lasted for a second before Charlotte withdrew her lips and let go of Taro. Taro and Charlotte hung their heads as they realized that this was heavier than what they anticipated.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **NO! SHIPS ARE NOT FINAL! I JUST WANTED TO INSERT A LITTLE MORE BONDING TIME BETWEEN TARO AND CHARLOTTE!**


	15. Chapter 12: I Love You, I Hate You

**Here's the long awaited 2018 update to this story!**

* * *

Taro and Charlotte were left stunned at their interaction. Taro was certainly not expecting that kiss either. They both sat on the bench along the hallway, pondering on their next move. But as Taro was still thinking, Charlotte asked,

"Taro, do you like me?"

Taro looked at Charlotte, who suddenly blushed and frantically waved her arms.

"D-Don't answer that! That's just the infatuation talking!" Charlotte said while her breathing became more panicked. "Don't take it too seriously."

"How can I not when you went straight for that kiss Charlotte?" Taro asked in a sullen voice, "This is _serious_. We both know our former loyalties, and if you're half the warrior you were, you'd know that we can't just let this slide like usual."

"But it's just a kiss! It doesn't have to mean anything!" Charlotte protested.

"No, it does." Taro said while raising a hand to Charlotte's face. "It proves that you have affections for me. And knowing my background, you should understand why I'm disturbed."

"But–"

"Excuse me?" A voice called out, making Taro and Charlotte to turn and see a hotel server. "Someone's looking for you Madam Charlotte."

Charlotte was hesitant to go but she looked back at Taro, who nodded at her to go on. She sighed and stood up before turning back to Taro.

"We're still talking about this later." Charlotte said adamantly.

"Fine." Taro said curtly while refusing to face her. "Just go."

Charlotte practically stomped off, leaving Taro to contemplate what to do next. But he sees the hotel employee sit beside him.

"Tough luck huh? Blondes, amirite?" He asked casually. He had normal Japanese features, but something seemed off about him.

This man was giving off an intense aura, it snapped Taro out of his introspection as Taro stood up and backed off for a bit. This wasn't any normal man. Taro out of all people should know. Taro then got into a fighting pose as the hotel man stood up and sighed.

"Well the disguise failed, I shouldn't have expected less from an Orochi such as yourself." The man shrugged before rushing forward at inhuman speeds before performing a flying kick.

Taro barely dodged the kick and tried to throw a punch, but the man blocked it and jabbed Taro in the jaw before backflipping back. Taro's eyes widened as he realized that fighting style from anywhere, this was no ordinary fighter. It was a legendary Shinobi. Taro then wiped the blood from his mouth and prepared for possibly the greatest fight of his life.

* * *

In the lobby, everyone seemed to be in panic as Charlotte ducked under the swing of a shorter woman with light blond hair. Charlotte then bashed her with her shoulder and tried to smash her down but the lady dodged and kicked her in the gut. Charlotte stumbled back as the lady then taunted her.

"Come on Warden, I know you're better than this."

"What do you want from me?" Charlotte asked while thinking. _"What could possibly be taking Bjorn so long?"_

"It's simple. I just want to see if you are really what they say you are." The lady said before pouncing at Charlotte.

Charlotte blocked the attack and smacked her in the face. She then kicked her in the gut and then shoulder bashed her back. The lady then sidestepped and delivered a devastating side punch before jumping and delivering a drop kick, knocking Charlotte back and hitting a wall. Charlotte saw blood drip from her mouth as she wiped it and clenched her teeth. She then got into stance and ran at the stranger in full speed with her fist raised.

* * *

A punch struck Bjorn in the face as he was knocked onto the collection of bar chairs before he quickly had to dodge another punch from the ginger lady. Her punch broke into the wooden counter and scared away the bartender. Bjorn then grabbed her arm and threw her away as he backpedalled to reassess the situation. The lady wiped her mouth and quickly recovered, ready to strike again.

"What the hell do you want you crazy bitch!?"

"I want a good brawl!" The woman said before pouncing at Bjorn.

Bjorn dodged it and jabbed the lady in the face. She pushes him back and headbutts him hard in the gut, sending him out the window. Bjorn quickly gets up and carefully picks the broken glass from his body. He then proceeded to charge back in. He runs with his arm as his shield as he pushes her against the wall. He proceeded to headbutt her and punch her before kicking her back and through the window. Bjorn then walked through the opening and saw the lady stand up, she was smiling and it didn't seem like it was going to end as easily as he thought.

* * *

Taro felt his face get smashed against the wall as he then kicked the Shinobi back and proceeded to deliver gut punches as fast as he could. The Shinobi in turn grabbed his face and kneed him before kicking his shins then punching his face. Taro then pulled on him and headbutted him in the face before they both stumbled back as the fighting was getting more intense. Both were drawing blood from each other as they proceeded to charge at each other before a no-dachi got in between them. Taro looked in shock to see that the no-dachi belonged to none other than Musashi.

* * *

Charlotte and the Peacekeeper were still going at it, dodging and tanking each other's attacks. They were slowly getting more angry as they kept hitting back harder every time they took a blow. They were fighting with absolute savagery as they almost began to hit to kill but a hand is put in between them as a man entered their center and pushed them both aside. Charlotte saw that the man had a shortsword in his hand and hand strange-looking gauntlets.

* * *

Bjorn and his opponent were locked in a wrestle as both were nearly equal in strength, with Bjorn having the upperhand. But the lady was always too fast for him as she would always just back or side dodge instead of just taking his blows like a man, er, woman. Bjorn needed to be careful and calculative with his next move. But the lady wasted no time as she pounced towards him, but before she could come in contact, a large man stood between them as he brandished his giant sword, causing her to stop and freeze for a bit.

"Ye dane goofed up lassie."

* * *

Nine people sat down in the meeting hall, with about six of them bloodied and bruised with bandages over their battered bodies. The other three sat close to the center and seemed disappointed. Taro, Charlotte, and Bjorn sat on one side while the other three sat at the other side. Musashi then stood up and massaged his forehead.

"Isaku, what the hell were you thinking!?"

"You told me to test his abilities!"

"Not in public…" Musashi groaned. "That goes for you as well Florentina and Yolda!"

"But we–"

"There's no excuse here you incompetent youngsters!" The muscular man said while smashing the table.

"Ye shoods hae waited fur us afair ye went in aw willy-nilly." The taller man with brown hair said in a thick accent. "Noo we hae tae pay fur property damages."

"So I take it that you three desire an explanation?" Musashi asked.

All three of them crossed their arms and curtly nodded. They already were unamused by the sudden brawl that really did a number of them, so an explanation was the least they could do.

"So as you three know, you come from a world where knights fight samurai and vikings and vice versa, correct?"

Taro and Charlotte were visibly shocked that Musashi knew this, Taro then leaned forward and said.

"D-Didn't I already–"

"Yes, but I merely feigned ignorance, I am well-aware of your world because I was also born in it." Musashi said before bowing. "Former General Yamada Musashi, at your service."

"W-Wait, y-you're–" Taro trembled. "My grandfather? Impossible! You died in a navy battle in a harsh storm!"

"And don't you remember dying as well?" Musashi asked. "As soon as I died, I found myself awakened in a new world, in 1960s Japan. From there, I would live my life as an actor and have a new family with a lady named Chinatsu Uemaru, sound familiar?"

"B-But how…" Taro murmured.

"We don't know, but what we do know is that other people have experienced this as well. Throughout history, strange people have been recorded to have been appearing. I am going to name some famous instances of knights, samurai, and vikings appearing in the most unlikely of places." Musashi said while turning on a projector. "In the year 30 BC, Octavian was to fight Mark Antony over the supremacy of Rome. Octavian recorded an unnamed centurion found in battle without scutum but rather beating his enemies with his fist and gladius. Though his fighting style seemed unorthodox, his kill count had caused a massive route. Octavian proceeded to give him the name _Pugnus de Imperii_ as a tribute to his favorite style of punching his enemies."

Taro and his group were awestruck that a Centurion actually appeared. What's more, he immediately fit in to this world quite well.

"Now of course, he's long gone, but that doesn't mean that there's no Centurion of course, I would like you three to meet Mister Flavius Aurelius, champion MMA fighter."

Taro and company looked at the muscular man who had black hair and whitish olive skin. He wore a black t-shirt with the MMA logo on it. He had blue denim jeans and brown shoes. Taro could not believe that this man was a Centurion.

"So hello there, in case you don't know me, I am Flavius Aurelius, Centurion and champion MMA fighter. My fighting style is defensive and relies on punishing aggressive fighters and dealing fatal counterattacks."

Taro could understand that all too well. He could still feel the sting of his jaw from the first time he fought those damned Romans.

"I was brought into this world in my fourteen year old body, to a family of olive farmers in Sicily. I have been in this world for about 16 years and I have been well accustomed to life here. Any questions?"

Charlotte raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"What is life like right now?"

"Well, I am currently retiring from MMA to inherit my family's olive farm, and to also pursue my married life with my wife, who happens to be the Gladiator."

Taro, Charlotte, and Bjorn were shocked to hear that. A ring was heard as the Centurion then proceeded to open his phone and groan as he whispered to Musashi.

" _It's Justina, she's calling on Facetime."_

"Go ahead, she should know about this as well." Musashi nodded.

Flavius opened the phone, revealing an olive-skinned woman with dark brown hair in a blue blouse in a hotel room. Charlotte and Taro could recognize that it was in this hotel because of its look.

"Flavius honey~ Are we going to the beach yet?"

"Not yet my sweet, I am still settling some business with newly-found Orochi, Warden, and Warlord."

"What!? You found those three already!? Wait, I'll come to you!"

Flavius tried to speak but he was cut off as the lady immediately hung up. There was a few seconds of awkward silence before the doors bursted open, revealing the same olive-skinned woman from before. She immediately ran and greeted Taro and his company.

"Hi! It's so nice to meet you! I'm Justina Valeria, a Gladiator and former WMA fighter!" Justina greeted excitedly. "I was brought to this world about the same year as Flavius and in the same hometown as well."

Flavius then immediately took his wife and gently held her and guided her away before adding,

"Anyway, this is the Gladiator. We were lucky enough to end up being in the same town as each other and that was how our relationship started. But that's enough for now, let's let the others talk."

The man then sat down with the Gladiator lady sitting beside him. Then the tall, blond haired man standing up and bowing before them.

"Awrite thaur, mah nam is Douglas Macgillivray. Ah apologize fur th' thick accent. Ah am still used tae speakin' Icelandic an' Scots-Gaelic. Anyway, Ah am a highlander an' a still skilled wielder o' th' claymer."

"It's okay Mister Douglas if you cannot speak English fluently, you are more than welcome to speak your native tongue, these people can speak Icelandic."

" _Tapadh leibh na spioradan .."_ (Thank the spirits…) Douglas muttered. _"Mar sin, chaidh mo ghiùlan chun an t-saoghail seo mu fhichead bliadhna air ais anns a 'bhuidheann agam deich bliadhna a dh'aois do theaghlach de bhuachaillean caorach ann an Alba. Tha mi na neach-teagaisg boghadaireachd agus na neach-taic airson boghadaireachd. Tha mi an-dràsta pòsta aig tidsear sgoile ionadail, a tha eòlach air mo dhìomhaireachd mar-thà."_

(So I was transported to this world about twenty years ago in my ten year old body to a family of sheep herders in Scotland. I am an Archery teacher and former Olympics champion of archery. I am currently married to a local school teacher, who already knows my secret.)

Taro was intrigued that he was so casual about letting someone know where he's from. How did he do it? More importantly, why would his wife be okay with him being a legendary warrior who slaughtered many?

"In case yoo're wonderin'," Douglas said while switching back to English. "She's extremely fascinated by mah warriur side an' aye prods me wi' questions abit war. She's a fantasy nerd, sae she pure isnae bothered by mah backgroond."

"Figures…" Taro said with sweat pouring down his head. "Looks like Charlotte here shares the same sentiment. Isn't that right Miss Warhammer lover?"

"Ah!" Douglas said before bringing out his phone. "Miss Charlotte, doo ye min' if Ah git yer contact an' picture?"

"I don't mind, but why?" Charlotte wondered.

"Mah wife is a big fan o' yoors, she'll be ecstatic tae kno' that Ah mit th' famoos warhammer lubber." Douglas said while approaching Charlotte and taking a selfie with her. "She's a Warhammer fan an' loves yer wark wi' total war an' lore explanations."

"If you'd like, you can invite your wife to see me, I'd be more than happy to accommodate her."

"Yoo're an angel lass... Thenk ye sae much!" Douglas bowed while returning to his seat, and then signaling the ginger lady to stand up.

"Okay, so you folks can call me Yolda, I'm a Valkyrie, sent here about eleven years ago in my thirteen year old body. I belonged to a family of codfishers before I pursued my career as a professional hockey player. And I have the medals to prove it! Every team needs a good sweeper!"

"Are all of you Olympic champions?" Taro asked incredulously.

"Only some of us..." Yolda muttered before sitting down

Shinobi then stood up together with the Peacekeeper.

"Okay, so my name is Isaku Ichijou and this is Florentina Ademari. We are a Shinobi and a Peacekeeper respectively. I was sent to this world about four years ago in my 15 year old body and I have been taken under the wing of the Yakuza as a bodyguard to their heir, now-head of the family."

"Wait, do you know someone nicknamed Geshunin?"

"Of course, good man with a delinquent younger brother. He actually told me of your mounted rescue on Madam Charlotte, and I have to admit that I'm impressed."

"So as mentioned before," The light blonde said, before adding, "My name is Florentina Ademari, was transported into this world about ten years ago, in my nine year old body. I was part of a Mafia family remnant in Florence, Italy. Now I work full-time as an assassin for the SMAVE."

"SMAVE?"

"Society for Myre, Ashfeld, and Valkenheim Exiles." Musashi added. "We're an extremely secretive organization whose true purpose is hidden even from the government. Our goal is just to find people from our world who were lost in this world and let them know that they aren't alone. Founded by Lawbringer, now-cardinal Victor Mancini."

"So how long has this organization operated?"

"Victor Mancini survived the second World War and became a priest for the Vatican. From there, he would use his access to the archives to know more about the strange phenomenon of warriors being sent to this world. From there, he would travel the world in search of the lost warriors. In his travels, he found an Orochi outside of Nagasaki, a Warden lying in Verdun, and a Warlord in war-torn Sweden. These four would be the founding members of SMAVE. But sadly, the Warden died about two years ago, while the Warlord died even earlier. The Orochi passed away about a few weeks ago."

"Wait… But aren't these four…"

"Yes, they are the same classes as yours. Another strange thing we would discover is that once a warrior dies in this world, another takes his place immediately. If a hypothetical Warlord were sent to this world and lived his life and then died, then another Warlord would be immediately sent to replace him."

"Strange…" Charlotte muttered.

"But anyway, that is not important right now. We are just here to tell that we are here if you need any guidance of this world." Musashi said while crossing his arms. "But seeing that you three are living in Buraza, then you'll be under my care."

"W-Wait, but that sword duel we–"

"I let you win." Musashi said curtly. "I had my suspicions but I didn't want to let you know who I really was and expose myself, so I laid low throughout our time together."

"…Understandable, but I do have some questions for the Peacekeeper though."

"Ask away."

"I notice that you and Isaku have matching necklaces, is that something SMAVE-related as well?"

"Oh this?" Florentina asked. "This isn't a SMAVE thing, Isaku and I are partners. Boyfriend and girlfriend as you would call it."

That chills down Taro's spine as he was reeling from the shock of what she had just said. They were _partners_? As in the type of people who would hold hands romantically and kiss and tell each other sweet things? Taro saw Isaku smirk at the expression on his face.

"What's so funny?"

"You remind me a lot of myself when I first thought of the prospect." Isaku smirked. "Keep in mind that this sort of level took _really_ long to achieve. Much like how you and Warden met, Florentina and I were the most bitter of rivals and enemies."

 _The projector then changed, showing a hooded figure and a black-haired man in student uniform fighting with their multiple weapons. They were agilely dodging and striking each other, with their movements too fast for the normal person to perceive. The man pinned the hooded figure against the wall before he was then kicked in the gut by the hooded figure, who had a knife tucked in her shoe. Taro and Charlotte mentally cringed as they saw him bleed and tremble on the ground._

"Yeah, wasn't the best of first impressions that's for sure eh?" Isaku winked at Florentina, who just rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't nearly as bad as that other fight we had."

 _The projector showed Isaku and Florentina talking to each other before they suddenly entered into combat. Neither were keen on dodging as they simply tanked each other's hits. It slowly became more bloody as they still struck each other savagely. Florentina then ducked under the punch and grabbed Isaku's arm and elbowed it, making an audible crack._

This made Taro very uncomfortable, silently thanking the gods that Charlotte wasn't this brutal. Charlotte on the other hand was appalled that she did that to him in the first place.

 _Isaku then grabbed Florentina and threw her to the ground before he began to choke her to death but Florentina kicks him off and grabs him, putting him in a chokehold. Isaku then bit down on her arm to the point of drawing blood, causing Florentina to instead knee Isaku in the face. Isaku then punched her back, sending her a few feet before she stood up, gritting her teeth in anger. Both stood apart from each other before each raised their fist and lunged at each other, their fists connecting with each other's faces. The sheer force of the blow sends each other back. Florentina gets sent back, and slowly wipes the blood off her face. With barely enough strength to even crawl, she crawls towards Isaku's body, which was unconscious from her punch. Tears were visible from her eyes as she cradled the body in her arms and cried._

Taro and Charotte were left enlightened by the information presented to them. Taro simply realized that his squabbles with Charlotte were practically child's play compared to what these two did. Charlotte realized that Taro was way more kind to her than she realized in the first place. Sure, he attacked her, but he did not fight to kill. She looked at the skin of Isaku and Florentina and saw that they had the scars and the bruises to back their story up. She could only wonder why her encounter was so tame compared to the bloodbath of a duel that these two apparent lovers had.

"Yeah, that wasn't a bright time for both of us, but that's all behind us now!" Isaku said while grabbing Florentina's hand. "We're slowly working our way through it."

"God damn it Isaku you're embarrassing me!" Florentina muttered while blushing heavily.

"Huh? What did I do wrong?"

" _Anyway_ …" Musashi trailed off while gesturing for both to quiet down. "I'm going to need the three of you to step outside for a moment, you won't be needed for the next matters to be discussed."

* * *

Taro and company stood up and bowed before they exited. Taro sat down at the lobby, where everyone was fixing the furniture and damages left by the fight between Charlotte and Florentina. Off in the distance, the bar was being sealed off due to Bjorn and Yolda's face-off as well. Taro plopped down on the sofa and exhaled in relief.

"So… we ain't alone in this world huh?" Bjorn asked amusingly. "That's one helluva relief if you ask me."

"I guess, but it complicates a lot of things now that we know that Musashi is a Kensei."

"I don't mind, at least it explains his dojo and skill. I can't believe he was able to hide it so well from me…"

"That reminds me, that Shinobi and Peacekeeper are awfully close huh?"

"Yeah… They were…" Taro said while glaring at Charlotte, who looked away.

Bjorn was confused by this as he then asked.

"Did I miss something?"

"Well–" Taro said before Charlotte closed his mouth.

"Nothing! Nothing happened!" Charlotte said before she suddenly stood up. "That reminds me, I'll be going back to the room, I think I left something! You were going to the room balcony, _right Taro_?"

Taro could sense the venom behind those words as he sighed and stood up and waved dismissively. Charlotte huffed triumphantly before making her way back to the meeting room. But as she neared the door, she heard the conversation between them.

" _Taro Yamada and Charlotte Weber… Where did I hear those names before?" Isaku wondered._

" _I remembered a story about a renowned assassin coming into the Weber manor."_

" _Weber Manor?"_ Charlotte wondered. _"They couldn't be talking about…"_

" _Yes, I remember now. Count Heinz, assassinated by an Orochi spy. And right in front of his daughter."_

" _I ran a namecheck when I was still in Ashfeld, that Orochi right there is no doubt the culprit behind it._

" _Who would have thought that they would be meeting again like this."_

* * *

Charlotte trembled at the news. Taro killed her father? He was the one who sent her spiraling into anger and revenge. He was the whole reason she trained to become the best Warden was just so that she could have her revenge on the bastard who did it. But now, she found out that the one who sent her on that path was none other than the same man whom she had a crush on. She couldn't even think of what to do as she remembered her father dying.

She remembered being bathed in his blood as she saw the sword go through his neck. When she saw the light leave her father's eyes as the cold assassin left in a hurry. But the Taro she knew wasn't like that. He was cold towards her, but she could see the well-meaning behind his actions. But then, she remembered when he fought through the mansion to save her, she saw that look, the same look she saw that assassin give her father as he plunged his sword into his neck.

She needed answers, and she needed them now. She stomps onto the elevator and presses the button. She waits anxiously as the elevator slowly rose to the penthouse as she went to the room, where she saw Taro staring off on the balcony. Charlotte immediately opens the door as Taro heard her enter. He then asked.

"So Charlotte, you're–"

Taro was interrupted as Charlotte then smacked him across the face, knocking him back. Stunned at what she did, he stayed silent as Charlotte asked.

"Back in Ashfeld, did you kill a man named Count Heinz Weber?"

Though Charlotte thought that Taro would be even more confused, his face turned serious as he wiped his mouth then stood up. He stood up and looked Charlotte straight in the eye as he slowly nodded. Charlotte trembled as her fist began to raise. She then screamed.

"YOU BASTARD!"

Charlotte then knocked Taro to the floor with a hard hook. Taro struggled to get up as Charlotte then pinned him to the floor. She then punched him again.

"WHY!?" Charlotte cried out before hitting him again. "Why. Would. You. Do. It!?"

Taro passively took the blows as his face became even more bloody and bruised.

"He was my father! You were the reason I shed blood, sweat, and tears just to train and kill you some day!"

Charlotte took a break from dealing her blows as Taro coughed a bit.

"The moment I saw your face, I knew you to be the kin of Heinz, hearing your name only confirmed my suspicions. You still had the same blue eyes that you had the night I killed your father."

Hearing that only made Charlotte angrier as she proceeded to punch Taro even harder. She was blinded by pure rage as she kept hitting at his face, never relenting for a single moment.

"Then why did you kill him!?" Charlotte snarled while still hitting him. "I deserved to know! Why did you kill a man while you knew his little daughter was watching!?"

"…Because… I was granting him… mercy…" Taro coughed out, his voice weakening.

"You **killed** him, where's the damn mercy in that?"

"You don't understand…" Taro said with tears running down his face. "Your father took someone away from me… Someone I loved…"

Charlotte froze at that, he loved someone before?

"It was… just… a simple reconnaissance mission… my partner… She got caught… Your father… he ordered her execution…" Taro said while gurgling and coughing a bit, trying to contain his urge to cry. "I loved her… I loved her so much… The day she died… I couldn't rest until… your father would die…"

"Get to the fucking point!" Charlotte said, trying not to act bothered that Taro was close to crying.

"I snuck into your manor… and faced your father… I swore to him that I would make him watch his loved ones die the same way I had to watch my beloved die…" Taro said while coughing some more. "When your father begged me not to, I saw you… You were staring at me with wide eyes… Knowing what was going to happen… I… didn't have the strength to hurt you, so I murdered your father instead…"

Charlotte was shocked to hear that Taro couldn't bring himself to kill her. Taro then hiccuped as weeping began to overtake his voice.

"When you first fell in love with me… I was guilty… Not because I let you get hurt… But because you fell in love with a man who killed your father…" Taro said while he was trembling. "I always pushed you away… not because I hated you… but because I could not face you… knowing you were the little girl who screamed when she was bathed in her father's blood…"

Taro then placed a shaky hand on Charlotte's shoulder as he then said.

"I saw this moment coming a long time ago… I knew that your love for me would fade the moment you knew the truth."

For some reason, that really hurt Charlotte deep inside.

"I won't even fight back… I just want you to know that… I'm sorry… that you had to see all that…" Taro said, his face bruised and battered with tears still flowing. "I won't hold it against you if you beat me senseless…"

Charlotte's anger began to fade as the image of her father's murderer turned into an image of a broken, bruised, and battered man at her mercy. A man who regretted wronging her. A man who lost the one he loved. A man who did not fight back. A man who carried a heavy burden on his conscience. A man who admitted his faults and mistakes with absolute shame. And she was beating him. Charlotte looked at her bloodstained hands, a miserable feeling of regret rising within her. She saw Taro crying as she felt a sinking feeling of remorse at what she had done. She slowly grabbed Taro and cradled him while whispering.

"Oh god… Taro… I'm so sorry…" Charlotte wept. "I-I didn't mean this… I-I…"

Charlotte then kissed Taro on the forehead.

"I love you…" Charlotte whispered as tears fell from her face as well while she held a bruised Taro in her arms.

* * *

A few hours pass and Taro and Charlotte sat on the floor, completely silent after the ordeal they just had. Taro then decided to speak up.

"Did I ever tell you the name of the woman I loved?"

"No." Charlotte said before leaning forward in interest. "Do tell."

"Ayano Aishi." Taro smiled.

Charlotte took a moment to think on that before she realized whom he was talking about. She looked at him with wide eyes as Taro simply smiled and nodded.

"I still love her Charlotte, even now, I still do." Taro shrugged. "I've decided to go after her."

Charlotte was silent before she then playfully punched Taro in the shoulder.

"Do whatever the hell you want, as long as you're happy, I'm fine." Charlotte said before crossing her arms and sighing for a bit.

Taro notices the sullen look on her face as he then leaned forward and gave Charlotte a peck on the lips making her recoil in shock at what he just did.

"Just a pity kiss." Taro said cheekily. "I can't leave you with nothing now can I?"

Charlotte blushed heavily as she struggled to hide her embarrassment. Taro simply laughed and walked inside the room.

"I'll go take a shower and look for Ayano."

"Okay, see ya." Charlotte waved before she kept staring off.

This was a long day. She just found out that other warriors were sent to this world like her. She found out that Taro was her father's killer. She nearly beat him to death before coming to terms with her feelings. It was a _really_ long day and she'd rather just rest and not think about it. But then again… She did get something memorable from all this turmoil.

Charlotte smiled as she touched her lips, the same spot where Taro had pecked her.

* * *

 **Character development between Taro and Charlotte OVER. Now time for some Taro-Ayano bonding time! Hope you forgive me for the long chapter intervals :(**

 **Keep in mind that I DO read your reviews, and I will send you a PM if your review is worth discussing, so thanks to you all for reading this!**


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